Spring Cleaning
by Vinividivinci
Summary: A bored Jack, on down-time, decides a little spring cleaning is in order. Will it be the death of him? Mostly Jack-centric but a little S/J (hey, it's me).
1. Chapter 1

_**Since I'm in Colorado I was inspired to do a bit of a 'Jack-centric, whump story'. It shouldn't be too long, but wil be full of whump, at least some allusions to S/J - and who knows what else. Please R&R as you see fit! Thanks,**_

"Going to your cabin Sir?" Carter asked as they walked down the hallway. They'd just gotten back from a lengthy and exhausting mission to PX-something or other and Hammond had told them to take the rest of the week off. They all needed the break, although as far as Jack was concerned it was more because he'd had to spend the last five days with a couple of Tokra operatives than because the mission itself was hard. God, he couldn't stand those guys!

"Not sure yet Carter", he answered cordially. He hadn't had time to give it any real thought, although getting away to his cabin sounded like a good idea. He glanced down at his 2IC and briefly entertained the idea of inviting her once more. Quickly admitting it wasn't a good idea, he sighed.

"Everything okay Sir?" she asked, glancing over at him worriedly.

"Yeah – just tired Major. What about you? Any plans?"

"Nothing really, although my house could use a good spring cleaning."

"Doesn't sound like very much fun. You should take some time off and – I don't know – visit someone or something."

"Actually, cleaning out my cupboards sounds more appealing than that right now", she admitted. "I don't know if I'm really up to doing much visiting."

"Tokra tired you out too did they?" he grinned.

She laughed. "I'm afraid so Sir. They do kind of – get on your nerves."

"You mean they're a bunch of pains in the – uh -"

"Ass Sir – ass."

This time he was the one who laughed. God, he wished he could invite her to his cabin and that she could accept. Oh well, even if he couldn't have her with him he _could_ spend the next few days relaxing and fantasizing – not smart maybe, but very appealing. "Well, whatever you decide to do Sam, make sure you relax. We need you back in fighting form!"

"Yes Sir – and you too." She smiled at him and continued on her way.

He watched her for a few seconds, refusing to acknowledge the yearning he felt, but finally headed towards the men's locker room. He suddenly felt rather melancholy and even though he was looking forward to some time off, he really didn't feel like being alone. He wondered briefly if either Daniel or Teal'c would be interested in going to the cabin with him.

"Probably not", he muttered.

"Probably not _what_ Jack?"

Speak of the devil! "Daniel – you startled me. Whatcha doing?"

"Just got out of the shower", he explained, although the fact that his hair was still dripping made the explanation rather unnecessary. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah – Hammond just wanted to check in with Carter and me about upcoming officer evaluations."

"Nothing serious I hope."

"Nah, just routine. So – any plans for your time off?"

"I'm going to work on my book", the archaeologist and linguist told him. "I've been wanting to get to it for a while but haven't had time. I'm looking forward to actually getting back to it."

Jack stared at him for a second and then blinked. "Your book?"

"Yeah – you know – the one I started writing a few months ago." His statement was met with silence, at which point he rolled his eyes. "You don't remember, do you?"

"Uh – remember what?"

"I told you all about it. I was sitting in your living room, drinking a beer with you, and I must have spent twenty or thirty minutes explaining it."

"Oh. Uh – no."

"No? No what?"

"I don't remember."

Daniel sighed and shook his head, deciding not to even bother explaining. "It's just a book."

"Not about -" Jack waived his arms around, somehow trying to indicate the SGC.

"What?" Daniel looked puzzled for a moment and then his face cleared. "Of course I'm not going to write a book about our work here. I _do_ understand classified, Jack. I'm writing about ancient Sumarian gods and their relationship to the Egyptian pantheon. It's really fasci -"

"Mmm hmm", Jack nodded and slapped him on the shoulder. "Have a great time and I'm sure those Sumatran gods are fascinating. Uh – do you happen to know where Teal'c is?"

Daniel looked resigned and simply took a deep breath. "I think he went to see General Hammond to get permission to visit his family."

"Mmm", Jack nodded, not surprised. Well there went the idea of having company. He supposed he could invite a few friends from the community over to his house – he and the police chief were buddies – but somehow he was too tired to try and deal with people he had to hide things from. Maybe he _should_ go to his cabin.

"You going to your cabin?" Daniel asked, suddenly echoing his thoughts.

"Probably", Jack nodded. "Not much else to do."

"Well, have fun", his friend told him as he headed out of the locker room, his hair still damp. "Travel safely."

"Yeah – thanks Daniel", he gave a short wave and again sighed. Stripping off his uniform he padded his way over to the shower, wishing he didn't feel so – blue. He needed to find a hobby – something other than running around the galaxy. With another deep sign he turned on the shower, somehow hoping the hot water would wash away his black mood.

He settled on his couch, a cold beer and a sandwich close at hand. Reaching for the remote he turned on the TV and settled down to watch something mindless. He needed to get his thoughts off arrogant villains, pain-in-the-ass – supposed – allies, and beautiful and sexy subordinates. He took a swig of beer.

After a few moments he hit the remote. He wanted mindless – not moronic! After flipping through countless channels– how could he possibly have two hundred channels and find absolutely nothing he wanted to watch – he turned off the TV. He looked down at his sandwich and decided he wasn't really hungry after all. He took another swig – and realized that he didn't want a beer either.

With a soft groan he pushed himself to his feet and walked to the kitchen, depositing his uneaten meal and half full bottle on the counter. He then wandered back to his living room and stood looking out the window at the darkening evening.

Damn! Maybe he should have gone to his cabin. At least there he could have enjoyed the fresh air and wilderness while being bored. He glanced at his watch. Should he call someone? But who?

After a moment's hesitation he walked to the phone and picked it up. He'd call Daniel. Surely he wasn't writing about the Samaritan's at this time? He dialed the number but before it had a chance to ring he hung up. He was pretty sure Daniel would humor him by talking, but he probably really wanted to write and Jack knew his team members all deserved some real down time. How writing about some old dead gods was restful was beyond him.

Sam? Should he call her? But what could he say? It's not like he could invite her to come over to watch a movie or play a game. He smirked. He knew _exactly_ what kind of game he'd like to play with her. He snorted, suddenly imagining hearing Daniel say _'Spin the Bottle! – aren't you a bit old for that Jack?'_

Ha! One was _never_ too old for Spin the Bottle, not when it was with someone like Samantha Carter. But no – he couldn't call her, as much as he wanted to.

Teal'c was gone. What about George? He was pretty sure the General wouldn't mind, but then again, as much as he liked the man, he didn't know if spending time with his boss, when on down time, was a good idea. Anyway, George was probably spending time with his own family.

His watch told the same tale as the hall clock, which repeated that of the stove clock, and the flashing time on the DVD player – it was still only early evening and he had four whole days to get through. There was still time to go to the cabin but he didn't know if he really felt like going now. It would mean arriving early in the morning and then he'd have to sleep during the day and – it just wasn't worth it.

"So what the hell are you going to do Jack?" he muttered to himself. "There has to be _something_." He checking out his watch – a whole five minutes had passed. "Damn!"

It was at that moment that he decided he'd do something if it killed him! He'd been on one mission after the other for weeks so there should at least be some chore around the house he could do? His cleaning lady kept the house clean, it was too late to mow the lawn, he hadn't been around enough to need to empty the garbage and – as far as he could remember – there was nothing to repair. Where was a leaky pipe when you needed one?

_The basement!_ That's _it_, he realized. He'd been meaning to get to the basement and organize it for – well, for_ever_. In fact, he hadn't really done anything down there since he and Sara had split and he'd moved into this house. He'd simply piled a bunch of boxes in a corner, planning to get to them when he had time. By now he couldn't even remember what was in them.

All of the really important things – mostly Charlie's stuff – and a few of his mementos from over the years – were carefully stored in his bedroom or the upstairs closet. He figured most of the basement boxes were filled with junk – old books and clothes, knick-knacks and toys he's purchased for himself but had grown tired of. With a determined look he headed towards the basement. With a grin he thought of Carter and her spring cleaning. Maybe she had the right idea after all.

What a stupid idea Carter, he said to himself after a couple of hours. He sneezed, for the fourth or fifth time, and wondered why in the world he'd thought this was a good idea. He perused the basement – which was now a total disaster – and wished he'd just taken the boxes and tossed them.

So okay – there were a few things he would have missed if he'd thrown them away. He'd enjoyed looking at the old photo album of his parents' that he'd found. It had brought back a whole bunch of memories and caused him to suddenly miss them terribly, something he hadn't done in a while. The photos also made him realize he really needed to contact his brother and sister. Although they tried to keep in touch, it had been awhile since they'd talked. He should consider going and visiting them both – although the fact that they were at opposite ends of the country made that a bit tricky.

Still – most of the stuff had been junk. _Why_ had he kept an old pair of boots that looked like they'd been found in an alley somewhere? He wasn't ever going to wear them again and they were too worn out to give away. And then there was the stack of magazines, most of which he hadn't enjoyed the first time around. It's not like they were even some of Sara's – he was pretty sure someone must have sneaked them into his house when he wasn't looking. Hey – maybe Daniel would like them? He stared at them for a moment and then shook his head. He didn't think Daniel would be into the _Bacon Buster's Monthly_, although the article on Babes and Boars looked intriguing. Nope – not for Daniel. _Teal'c_ on the other hand …

He then glanced over at the one thing he _was _really glad he'd uncovered – his father's tackle box and fishing equipment. It too brought back memories that caused a lump to appear in his throat. God, he remembered so many good times fishing with his Dad. The two of them – more than either Dave or Kate – had loved to fish. He still did and couldn't believe he'd forgotten this was here.

He'd spent quite a bit of time looking through the box, pulling out the various flies, clamps, lanyards and other bits and pieces of equipment. Finding his father's scaling knife was an even more special find. He remembered how many times, as a kid, he'd begged his father to be able to hold it and try it. He'd always been told 'no' – until finally, one day, his father had simply handed it to him.

That had been an incredibly special moment for him. It had been a strange and wonderful acknowledgement that he was growing up – that his father trusted him – and that he was now old enough to join his father completely in their shared passion. He had taken it gingerly, but had known it was something to handle carefully, respectfully.

After looking at it for a long time – simply allowing the memories to wash over him – he'd laid it down carefully. It was dull and tarnished, but tomorrow he'd take it and sharpen it and put it away until it was time to go to his cabin. He would then add it to his own tackle box. He returned to searching through more boxes, but found little else to interest him.

It was much later that he glanced again at his watch this time was surprised to see it was almost midnight. Okay, he'd managed to spend some real time and had accomplished – well – he looked at the mess – he _had_ thrown away the boots.

Might as well head to bed, he decided. He could finish this tomorrow. He took one last look at the pile of stuff and turned sharply towards the stairs. What happened next was like something from a cartoon – except it left him far from laughing. In fact, it left him close to dying.


	2. Das Boot

_**Because you all asked so nicely (okay, so some of you begged), I've posted another chapter. Thanks as always for the amazing reviews. Have a good whump-filled evening/morning/day. Vini**_

It shouldn't have happened. In fact, the chances of it _actually_ happening were infinitely low. But the fact was, it _did_ happen and the consequences were disastrous.

He'd travelled the galaxy. He'd been through hazards the people on Earth had never even heard of. He'd been blown up, shot at, hit, stabbed, zatted, etc, etc. He'd walked over terrain that was more than treacherous, with booby traps both natural and man-made, and he'd survived. He was experienced. He was skilled. And he was usually lucky.

But not today. It was an accident, a fluke a freak occurrence and it was going to leave him fighting for his life.

He turned to head back upstairs, tired after his attempt at cleaning. He was also hungry and thirsty, from having skipped dinner. He figured that's what had done it. He wasn't his usually coordinated and careful self. Instead he'd caught his foot on something – some piece of junk he was probably planning on throwing away. It had caused him to trip and he'd taken a couple of running hops and skips to keep himself from falling. He'd thought he'd made it, that he was safe with what had been no more than an embarrassing dance, which fortunately no one had been around to see. But he was wrong. Just as he thought he was going to make it an old ping pong ball rolled out from under another pile of junk, right under his foot.

That caused him to stumble again and this time, with a wild wave of his arms and a loud curse, he'd gone hurtling to the ground. He'd known it was going to hurt and he braced himself. And it flashed through his mind quickly that he must be cursed - he'd never actually owned a ping pong table in his life.

As he went down he briefly closed his eyes. If he was lucky he was going to get by with nothing but a few bruises. He waited for the moment of impact and pain he knew he was going to feel as he landed on the hard cement floor.

That would have been it – a few bruises, a few curses, a limp up the stairs and a hot bath and some Tylenol, except for one slight thing. When he'd fallen he'd knocked into the pile of magazines, which had fallen into the pile of old video tapes, which had careened into the ceramic garden gnome (he _knew_ he hadn't bought that one) which tipped over onto the box – which held his father's hunting knife. Now even that wouldn't have been a problem, except the knife went flying into the air, turning slowing over – once, twice, three times – until it landed.

Now, the rule of nature suggests that a knife when dropped, not thrown – because of its very shape and size – will usually land either on its side, or blade side down. That would have been true except for one small thing – or maybe not so small a thing – and that was Jack's old pair of boots.

For some strange and terrible – reason, after the knife did it's slow and almost lyrical movement in the air, it landed inside one of those old boots headed for the trash. It landed with the handle right in the hole where your foot normally goes. The blade – the long, dull, serrated blade - stuck straight up from the boot like some malevolent bud in a very old and dirty vase.

Even this event would normally have occurred with few, if any, negative consequences. This time however, the forces which had aligned against Jack combined to ensure that it _did_ have consequences and very, very bad ones.

As he went down he didn't see the blade sticking up in his path, thinking only of the concrete and his bones. The thought that his flesh was about to be pierced didn't even cross his mind – that is until he felt the molten agony that flooded through his chest when he hit the ground.

"Gaaahh!" he gasped – the pain too sharp for a scream. It took him a moment - quite a few moments actually – to try and make sense of what had happened. Of course it took even longer than normal because he had to concentrate on breathing, something that was way harder than it was supposed to be.

What the hell happened, he asked himself? He tried to pull in a breath but something was stopping him – something that hurt – a lot. It reminded him slightly of the feeling he'd gotten when down in – oh hell no! He took another breath, this time managing to get some air in his lungs and then forced himself to look down.

Shit, shit, shit! He had a knife – his father's knife – sticking out from his chest. He swallowed and knew that he was in big, big trouble.

Okay Jack – get off your ass, or in this case your side, and move. You need help and you need it fast. He glanced down again and could see the red stain spreading rapidly on his shirt. That, and the burning agony, forced him to move, something he really didn't want to do.

"Aaargh!" he choked, the sound coming from his throat a strangled cry for help. He managed to make it to his back and lay there, staring at the multitude of black spots that swam before his eyes. He didn't know how long he stayed like that but all he knew was that if he moved another inch, if he tried to breathe too deeply, to speak, to yell, to cry – or even to scream bloody murder – he'd pass out.

Eventually the world returned to some semblance of normalcy, even if it was filled with almost unbearable pain. It was only as things became clearer – his eyesight and his awareness both – that he realized his chest wasn't the only problem. "F**K!" His leg was killing him too.

Shades of Antarctica came rushing back. A broken leg, most likely a punctured lung, a lot of pain and stuck. The only difference was here he was bleeding on the outside, rather than on the inside.

The other difference, of course, was that there was no Samantha Carter here to help him and to give him a reason to go on. Not that he was giving up – never that – but he knew that there was nothing he wanted more than to hear her voice at this moment.

Ain't gonna happen Jack! They all think you've gone to your cabin and they're off doing their own thing. If you want to make it out of here, you're gonna have to do it yourself.

He allowed his head to flop to the side – he couldn't really claim he'd moved it using any kind of muscle control, and peered towards the stairs. It wasn't that far. He could make it. All he had to do was drag himself over there, and then up thirteen stairs to the kitchen, where he could pull himself to a standing position and grab the phone. He'd make one simple little 911 call and then he'd spend a few merry days in the hospital or infirmary. Piece of cake O'Neill. You'd better get on it.

There was one slight problem of course, and that was that he was bleeding all over his floor and if he didn't do something quick he'd never live to _make_ it up those stairs. So – stop the bleeding, _don't_ pull out the knife, as much as you want to, and _then_ pull yourself out of here, yadda, yadda, yadda.

Another head flop, this time the other way. There had to be something in this mess that he could use to stop the bleeding. His eyes wandered all over the even more useless junk until he came across an old ripped Air Force T-shirt. He prayed it was clean, although at this point it didn't matter that much. He'd die of blood loss way before infection – and there were those wonderful things called antibiotics.

Okay, he decided as the world again swam and his non-existent dinner wanted to make an appearance all over the ever-reddening basement floor, _don't_ try and move so quickly. With a gulp, an attempt at a deep breath and a slow reach of his arm he tried to snag the T-shirt.

Of _course_ it was too far away. He'd have to move, which was really stupid as it was in the wrong direction, away from the stairs. Still – blood loss Jack – not good, very not good. With another breath – which were still difficult – he managed to inch himself towards the shirt. At one point he felt like he was going to pass out and stopped, forcing himself to stay conscious and not succumb to the pain and ever growing weakness. "You – can – do it – O'Neill", he gasped. Another thing to remember. Don't talk. There's no one to hear you except yourself and you need the oxygen too badly to waste it on an empty room.

God Sam – where are you when I need you?

Success! He finally managed to grab the shirt and slowly pulled it towards himself. The next thing he had to do, which he had no desire to even attempt, was to staunch the blood. The knife was still sticking up, mocking him, and he was going to have to work around it. He had an almost overwhelming desire to yank it out, but knew that most likey _would_ be the death of him.

"Ow, ow, ow", he muttered, forgetting his own thoughts about being quiet. It _hurt_! He attempted to clumsily wrap the shirt around the knife and press as firmly as he could bear. Tears instantly filled his eyes and he jerked his head sideways, as if that could alleviate some of the burning pain.

He wasn't sure how successful he had been in stopping the blood, but he couldn't wait to find out. He had to make it upstairs to the phone, or he was a dead man.

So began the excruciating journey across his basement floor. He had to use one hand to keep the shirt pressed against his chest, the other was used to attempt to drag himself. He also used his leg, the non-broken one. He would reach with his arm and bend his leg at the same time. He pull with his arm and push with his leg, trying to gain as much purchase as he could.

At this rate he'd make it to the bottom of the stairs by Monday, he thought. Still, he didn't know what else he could do.

Maybe the best thing would be to get up on his knees – or at least one knee, and try to crawl. It would be painful and definitely ungainly, but he might make better time – and time was now of the essence.

Pushing himself over onto his side made the knife sway and move. He let out a gasp and instantly felt the hot blood seep out of the wound at a faster pace. His breathing hitched – the awkward position making it even harder to get air in his lungs. After a moment things settled down and he moved, inch by inch until he was finally leaning on one arm, almost facing the ground again.

"Here – goes – O'Neill", he gasped to himself. He pulled up his good led until it was under him and transferred his weight onto it and his arm. He groaned and stayed perfectly still until things stopped swimming. "Kay – get – ass – in gear!" He slowly moved forward an inch, and then another, and another. He forced himself forward, ignoring the steady drip, drip, drip of his blood on the floor underneath him. He had to continue to press, not just on the shirt, but on the knife as well. The position he was in had caused it to move.

"God!" he groaned as he moved another few inches. Things were going black and there was a loud wooshing noise in his ears, almost as if he was by the ocean. The gorge rose in his throat and he was terrified he would start to vomit – which would surely kill him.

Keep going O'Neill! He glanced up and the distance to the stairs looked unsurmountable. But he couldn't – wouldn't stop. He _had_ to make it. He had too much to live for now – he would not give up.

* * *

Sam wandered aimlessly around her house. She'd spent all of three hours cleaning, only to come to the realization that she was barely home enough to make her house dirty – and there was little or nothing left to do.

"You were right Colonel", she muttered to herself. "Spring cleaning was not the best thing to do on my down time!" She finally plunked herself on her couch and tried to figure out what she wanted to do with the rest of her time off.

Well, actually she _knew_ what she wanted to do and that was to go with the Colonel to his cabin. That couldn't happen though – even if she decided to be courageous and go for it. The fact was – it was too late. He would already have left for Minnesota!

She could call Daniel. He was working on his book but she figured he wouldn't mind spending some time with her. She laughed. What was wrong with her that she spent all her days with these guys but then when she had some time away all she wanted to do was get together with them. Was that sick? She hoped not.

What she did know is that they were her best friends. They understood what she did and who she was better than anyone in the universe. She could be honest with those guys – okay _almost_ honest. She thought about the Colonel. They had to retain some barriers or else … Well, they both knew the 'or else'. Nope, she couldn't go to the cabin, but she could call Daniel.

She glanced at her watch. Damn! It was almost 12 o'clock. Too late to call him. She sighed and decided she might as well go to bed. She'd give him a call in the morning.

As she padded her way into her bedroom, with her soft flannel pajamas and her piggy slippers (a gift from the Colonel for Christmas) she thought again of her boys. She smiled as she thought of Teal'c spending time with R'yac and Daniel writing his book. She hoped the Colonel was enjoying his time at the cabin.

It was only as her head touched the pillow that she got a strange feeling – a feeling as if something was wrong. She frowned and stared at her ceiling. After a few moments she shrugged and decided she was imagining it. If something had happened they would call her.

She closed her eyes and tried to relax. She really wished she was at the cabin with Jack O'Neill.


	3. Open Window

_**Continued thanks to my wonderful readers. I wasn't going to update today but your reviews inspired me - and I didn't want to leave you hanging for too long. Enjoy!**_

The first thing he became aware of was that he was cold, freezing in fact. The second bit of awareness told him that his face was planted directly on concrete – probably one of the reasons he was so cold.

At least concrete indicated some kind of sophistication, so he most likely wasn't on a primitive planet – which would have meant lying on dirt, - at least he was pretty sure it would. Of course the problem was that other than that one idea, he didn't have anything else. He groaned softly and then wondered where that had come from. Probably because I'm cold, he thought.

His mind was sluggish and besides being cold he was so, so tired. Maybe he should just sleep for a while. His team would watch out for him.

His team! God – what about them? He groaned again and forced his eyes open. He didn't have a clue where he was, or what had happened, but he knew he had a responsibility to his team. He had to find out if they were okay and get them home.

After what seemed like hours he managed to lift his eyelids, although they kept wanting to drift closed. So – what did he see? Yes, his face was on concrete, that much was confirmed. Other than that? He tried to lift his head, at which time the terrible coldness gave way to scorching agony.

"God!" he hissed. The pain started in his chest and then burnt all the way down to his legs. What the hell was wrong with him?

He tried turning his head and managed to move it a few inches. Still not sure what was happening or where he was, he tried to look around even though the pain made movement – and thought – almost impossible.

His eyes lighted on a pile of – magazines? What the hell? Other than Earth he didn't remember any planet they'd been on that had magazines – at least not ones that looked like he could have bought them at the local corner store.

His head moved a few more inches as he attempted to focus his eyes, which didn't seem to want to work properly. Still no teammates – which could be good or bad – but there was certainly a lot of junk piled around him. It made no sense. Where was he and why was he here?

He made one final attempt to move – gasping and choking. Damn – there was something really wrong with him. It was at that moment of realization that he eyes focused on an object that looked – hell – it couldn't be! It was his father's tackle box.

What was it doing here? And where _was_ here? Was this some alien device that had gotten into his head and made him think he was home? Home? Home! - Hell he was at home.

Everything suddenly came rushing back to him. He was in his own basement. He'd been cleaning and he'd fallen and – he looked down suddenly. Oh God – he'd stabbed himself and he was bleeding like a stuck pig.

He reached up to the wound, the T-shirt now completely saturated in his blood. He'd obviously collapsed, unconscious, while on his way to the stairs. Fortunately it looked like he hadn't landed on the knife, which probably would have killed him instantly. As it was, he knew he was dying slowing as his blood oozed out of the vicious wound.

"Idiot", he murmured. He had to keep going. He managed to lift his head, only to let it fall down in disappointment. He'd barely made it half way. How was he going to do this?

Stop it O'Neill, he told himself fiercely. You _can_ do this. You've been in worse situations and made it out alive. Hell, you've _died_ – repeatedly – and made it out alive so stop whining and get going.

Yeah, but you had a sarcophagus handy, a little voice in his head told him. No sarcophagus here, not at your home Jack. Not only that – no one – not his friends, nor his enemies had the slightest idea that he was bleeding to death in his basement. So – move it soldier! Your life depends on it.

* * *

Sam woke up and checked her bedside clock. It was just after 5:30 am. She didn't know what woke her but for some strange reason, she knew there was no way she was going to make it back to sleep. She had that strange feeling she'd had the night before and it was driving her crazy. She almost picked up the phone to call the base but knew she was being paranoid. If they had been attacked or something else was wrong they would have called her. It must just be that she was so used to being on missions that her body hadn't figured out how to stop and relax.

After getting up and taking a shower she still felt restless. What could she do? She thought about taking a quick run, but decided that what she really needed was speed! She hadn't ridden her motorcycle for weeks now. A good long ride would blow the cobwebs right out of her brain. And after that she'd stop by and see Daniel and invite him out for a hearty breakfast. Yeah – that sounded great.

She put on her leathers and retrieved her helmet. After locking the door she made her way out to her garage and pulled out the Indian – her pride and joy. With a quick grin she mounted the bike and in a few seconds was riding down the street. Her neighbors doubtless were unhappy to hear the engine roar at this time of the morning – but for once she didn't care. She needed this.

As she rode she kept expecting to feel that glorious feeling she got when on her bike. This time however, that niggling feeling followed her. It was telling her to do something – she just wished she could figure out what it was.

Find some company – that's what it was. She needed company. She wanted someone to ride with her – to go out into the country and spend a day enjoying the freedom and fresh air.

But who? The only person she knew who also had a bike was the Colonel, and he was in Minnesota. Or was he? He'd said he _might_ go, but he hadn't been sure. What if he'd decided to stay in Colorado Springs? It wouldn't be wrong to ask if he wanted to go for a ride, would it? And it's not like it was inappropriate or anything – two friends simply enjoying the day.

She'd do it! She'd ride over to his house and check to see if he was home. If not – well nothing lost. If he _was_, well, she'd just have to gather up the courage to see if he wanted to spend the day with her. Taking a deep breath she turned her bike and headed towards the Colonel's.

She changed her mind at least a half a dozen times on her way there. One moment she figured the Colonel would be happy she asked – the next she could picture him giving her the superior officer eyebrow and telling her it was inappropriate. She laughed to herself at that. There's no way he'd do that – not after he'd invited her to go fishing with him. That was _much_ more inappropriate.

She finally made it to his street and slowed down a few houses away. She turned off the engine on her bike and sat there, looking at his house and trying to gather the courage to wring his doorbell.

Well, his truck was in the driveway so he might be home. But then again, he could have called a cab to take him to the airport, rather than leave his vehicle parked in a public lot for the weekend.

Don't be ridiculous Sam, she told herself. Just go and ring the man's doorbell. If he's home he'll answer it, if not he won't. Nothing ventured …. She put the kickstand down on her bike and stood. She strode over to his house, taking off her helmet as she walked.

With another deep breath she reached out a finger and rang the bell. Oh God – what if he was sleeping? She glanced at her watch – it was just after 7:00 and it was his day off. He was going to kill her!

She waited a few moments and when no one answered took her courage in her hands and rang the doorbell again. By this time she was sure he wasn't home, and had to swallow down her disappointment.

"I hope you're having a good time Sir", she said quietly to herself as she turned away and headed back to her bike. "I just wish I could have gone fishing with you."

* * *

Jack started on his journey to the stairs once more. He was so weak he was trembling and his breathing was becoming more and more difficult. This time he knew he didn't have the energy to crawl so he resumed his push/pull technique with his arm and leg. It was unbearably slow, but he kept telling himself that at least he was going in the right direction. If he could keep from passing out this time he could make it.

As he pulled himself along the floor he thought back to the book of photos he'd been looking at last night. He started to think about his childhood to keep his mind off the all-encompassing pain. He thought about the wonderful times he'd spent growing up in Minnesota, about his parents, both of whom were older when he and his siblings had been born, but they hadn't let that stop them. He'd had a great childhood – running wild at the cabin, playing with his brother and sister and embarking on all sorts of great adventures with them.

Charlie had been so much like him, he suddenly thought. He was grateful his parents had known Charlie – and also that they'd both died before his son. They would have been devastated at his death.

He thought suddenly of his nephew and nieces and wished he lived closer to them. Even though he no longer had a child he _could_ be a favorite uncle. When he got out of this mess he needed to spend more time with them. Maybe he'd invite his brother and sister and their families up to the cabin. It had been years since they'd all been here together.

How old was Mark, his oldest nephew? He must be – hell – almost 18 by now. He wondered what he was planning on doing. And then there was Emma, and Calli and James. Yup – he'd definitely have to get in touch.

He felt a wave of sadness wash over him. As great as it was to be an uncle – he wished with all his might that he could still be a Dad. Maybe, if he _didn't_ get out of this it would be okay – at least he could see Charlie again.

"Don't – think – that way – Jack", he gasped. He _couldn't_ let himself think he wasn't going to make it. He _had_ to get to those stairs. He _had_ to make it _up_ those stairs and to a phone. For the first time he cursed himself for leaving his cell on the coffee table. In the future Jack, keep the damn thing with you when you go to the basement.

Not that he planned to come down here again for a while. So okay – his laundry was down here – but he wasn't ever going to spring clean ever again, that was for sure.

Of course that made him think instantly of Carter – his Carter. No, not his. But he _wished_ she was his. Damn how he wished that. He wished there weren't any regulations, that he wasn't so much older than her, that he could be a dad again and that _there wasn't a god-damned knife sticking out of his chest_!

He pulled himself forward another few centimeters – he was no longer counting in inches. He was so tired he needed a rest. He put his head down on the concrete – its cool temperature feeling good on his burning skin, even though the rest of him was still freezing. Just a short rest – he'd sleep for just a few seconds and then he'd get going again.

* * *

Sam kick started her bike and pulled away from the curb. She gave the Colonel's house one last look, letting go of a regretful sigh. She looked behind her and then pulled a U-turn in the middle of the street. She was just about to speed up when something stopped her.

She slowed down and pulled back over to the curb, this time on the Colonel's side of the street. Something wasn't right but she couldn't put her finger on what it was. Again lowering the kick stand she threw her leg over the bike and slowly twisted around to look back at the house.

He must have gone to Minnesota or he would have answered the door. She knew he was a light sleeper and if he'd been there he would have heard her. So what was wrong? She looked again and then she saw it. A second floor window – the one she thought was his bedroom – was open.

If there was anything she knew about the Colonel it was that he would _never_ leave his house for days without making sure it was locked up tight. Oh, he could be careless about leaving his door unlocked, but that was only when he was gone to the store or somewhere close by. Nope – he wouldn't leave a window open, of that she was sure.

So why hadn't he opened the door? Could it be that he was just sleeping or that he'd decided to ignore the doorbell? For a moment she decided that was the case and that he wouldn't want her to bother him again, but then she remembered her feeling last night and this morning that something was wrong.

She was probably being paranoid and the guys would tease her unmercifully, but she knew that didn't matter. She had to check this out – to make sure he was okay. They'd been through too many bizarre experiences together not to look out for each other. If she was wrong – fine, she'd make a fool of herself. That was still better than ignoring what could be a serious problem.

She walked slowly back to the Colonel's house and again tried the bell. After a moment, when there was still no answer, she knocked. She knocked again and then a third time with no results. He probably _was_ in Minnesota.

She stepped back from the door and decided to take a look around. She just hoped the neighbors didn't think she was a thief come to rob him. Swinging her helmet in her hand she made her way around the back.

Everything looked fine. There was nothing out of place and the door to the deck was locked. She peeked in the window and carefully checked everything. It was then she noticed that the kitchen light was on.

Okay, that proved it. Jack might forget a window – he wouldn't forget _both_ a window and a light. He had to be home – unless of course he'd run out early this morning.

God – that was probably it! She suddenly felt like a fool. What if he'd done the same thing as she had done and gone for an early morning ride – or even a run? She should just forget about this and go home.

She walked slowly back to the front, trying to figure out what to do. _Was _she being paranoid? Should she forget it and go home or should she double check?

To use one of the Colonel's hated cliché's – better safe than sorry. With that thought she reached into her pocket and grabbed her cell phone. She hit speed dial and lifted it to her ear.

"Daniel? Hi – sorry to bother you so early, but do you have a key to Colonel O'Neill's house?"

* * *

He'd reached the stairs! He would have shouted in victory if he had enough air in his lungs. As it was, he barely had enough to keep breathing.

The pain was still bad, although it had started to subside a bit. He knew this wasn't a good thing – it simply meant his body was shutting down. He'd lost too much blood and it had been too long. He knew it was a miracle he'd made it this far. His shirt was saturated as were the top of his pants and he could barely see, the black having taken over most of his sight. Even his leg no longer hurt so badly – it was pretty numb by now.

He reached out with a hand – a hand that was shaking so badly he wondered briefly if it was going to stay attacked – and touched the edge of the stairs. He'd thought – the whole agonizing journey – that if he reached the stairs he could make it. He had been fooling himself.

He looked up – up to the top where salvation lay – and knew there was no hope. He almost laughed at that, would have if he'd had the energy – it was almost a metaphor for his life. He remembered Daniel wanting him to ascend and his response. He had been sure than – and was almost sure now – that he didn't deserve salvation. He rested his head on the cold floor and knew this was the end.

He couldn't get up those stairs. He was too weak, too close to death. He would lie here until the last drop of blood, the last breath left his body. He had hated the thought of dying like this – but now it didn't matter. He was too tired and it was time.

"I'm sorry guys", he whispered. "Sorry to leave you but you'll be okay. Daniel – you're such a good man and one day you'll find happiness again. You so deserve it. And Teal'c – I wish I could be there with you when your people attain their freedom. You are my brother Teal'c – I'll miss you but I know you'll do fine.

"Sam – Sam I wish – I wish things could have been different. You know I felt for you – way more than I was supposed to – what you don't know is that I love you and wish we could have spent our lives together. You're an amazing woman and an amazing officer and you'll go far. I just hope – that sometimes you'll remember your old commander with affection."

His eyes slowly began to close. "God – if you're really there – and if you truly care for old soldiers like me then – please, let me see my son again. I know I don't deserve that but – I love him so much. That has to count for something, doesn't it? I just want to see Charlie – that's all I ask."

With that his eyes closed and he rested – letting go of the world around him.

* * *

"Daniel!" Sam walked up to his car as it pulled behind the Colonel's truck. "Did you bring the key?"

"Yeah", he answered as he got out of his car. "Sorry it took me a while – I had a bit of trouble remembering where I'd put it. Still no answer?"

"No and I think the neighbors are getting suspicious. I'm probably crazy and he's gone to Minnesota."

"Probably, but even if he has he wouldn't want his window left open so at least we can shut it – and we'll check on things quickly. He won't mind."

"I hope not." The two of them walked up to Jack's front door and Daniel pulled out the key.

"So, what were you doing over here in the first place?" her friend asked casually as he pushed the door open.

"Huh? Oh, I was out for a ride on my bike and I thought I'd see if the Colonel would like to accompany me for a bit. I know he has a motorcycle too. I know it was crazy, but for some reason I didn't feel like being alone and since you were writing your book and Teal'c was away …

"Yeah", Daniel agreed, not seeming to think there was anything suspicious in her answer. "I kind of felt the same. I tried writing yesterday and couldn't get into it. I thought about giving you a call, but didn't want to bug you", he grinned.

She laughed. "We're strange, aren't we? I was going to invite you out to breakfast this morning if the Colonel wasn't around." The two of them were standing in O'Neill's hallway as they were talking. "Uh – everything looks fine."

"Why don't you check out the living room and I'll go make sure he isn't just sleeping in."

"Okay – but be careful Daniel. If he _is_ here we don't want him to think we're intruders."

"No, you're right. _JACK_!" Daniel yelled, giving her another grin. "That way he won't shoot me."

She giggled and headed towards the living room. It only took a couple of seconds to realize everything was in order and there was no evidence of anything bad having happened. She then went into the kitchen. At first things looked fine but then she noticed the sandwich and half full bottle of beer. She immediately frowned. Okay – something was definitely off. The Colonel wouldn't leave food out if he was planning on being gone for days.

"Nothing upstairs", Daniel said as he suddenly appeared in the kitchen. "Hey – that's not right", he said, nodding towards the food. "Jack wouldn't leave food out like that."

"I know. I'm afraid something's wrong Daniel", Sam said, her voice full of worry. "It looks like he left suddenly – but his truck is still here. This doesn't make sense."

"Do you think – could he have been kidnapped?"

Sam continued to frown. It was a possibility, although one she didn't want to contemplate. "There's no sign of a struggle", she told him. "Although he could have been knocked out I suppose."

"Hard to surprise Jack like that. And who would have done it? The NID aren't _that_ stupid, are they?"

"I hope not." She continued to look around the kitchen, hoping something would jump out at her that would give her a clue as to what had happened. "I wonder if we should call General Hammond."

Daniel's eyebrows went up but then he nodded. "Yeah, I think that's a good idea. If he has been kidnapped the sooner we get people on it the better. I can call." Daniel pulled his cell out of his pocket and began to look up the General's home number.

While he was doing that Sam walked out of the kitchen and noticed a door that was slightly ajar. She frowned slightly, trying to remember – oh yeah – the Colonel's basement. They hadn't checked there. She walked over to it slowly and only when she arrived did she realize that the stair lights were on.

"Daniel", she called. She had a sudden premonition that she was going to find something – and she was afraid. "The basement – the light's on."

He turned his phone off and hurried over to her. "You think – could there be someone down there?"

"I don't know but – I'm going to look." Opening the door up wider she stepped down onto the first step. It was then that she looked down and instantly saw something – "Oh God!" She rushed down the steps, having recognized that it was a body at the base of the steps – and she was pretty sure whose it was.

"Sam?" Daniel called after her.

"It's the Colonel", she shouted back at him. In a second she was at the bottom and kneeling beside him. "Oh my God", she gasped as she saw the blood that covered him – and the trail that was smeared across half the basement floor.

"Is he -?" Daniel asked fearfully as he descended behind her and as she felt for a pulse. There was silence for a moment, as she searched, and the archaeologist stood, not breathing.

"He's alive", she finally muttered, "but his pulse is really weak and slow. Call for an ambulance and tell them to get here quickly."

He nodded and immediately lifted his phone once more. "Shit – no signal. I'm going upstairs."

"After you call look for his first aid kit. He's still bleeding."

Daniel nodded and then raced upstairs while Sam sat next to the dying Colonel.

"What did you do Jack?" she cried. She gently reached out and touched him – it was only then that she saw the knife sticking out of his chest. She gasped. "What the hell!" She immediately looked around the basement as if someone was lurking, waiting to attack her. "Who did this Sir?" She felt again for his pulse, relieved that it was still there, but worried at how faint it was. By the amount of blood around she knew he was in desperate shape.

"Here", Daniel leapt down the stairs, taking two and three at a time. He passed her the first aid box. "The ambulance is on its way. I left the front door open and told them we were in the basement. I'll go up in a second and direct them down. What can I do?" he asked as he watched her open the kit and rummage around for bandages.

"Not much", she said. "I don't even think there's much I can do. Wait – you can help me turn him on his side and get him into the recovery position."

"Shit – Sam, he's been stabbed", Daniel exclaimed when he saw the lethal looking knife sticking out of his friend.

"I know Daniel", she answered calmly – which was far from how she felt. "I don't' think whoever did this is still here. Come on – help me – oh crap!"

"What?"

"His leg – I think it's broken."

"Broken? But how – why?"

"Probably so he couldn't make it up the stairs. It looks like he was trying." She indicated the trail of blood and Daniel flinched.

"God – Jack! What the hell happened down here?"

"I need a blanket, or something to keep him warm." Sam had gingerly removed the soaked T-shirt and was trying to wrap bandages around the knife to hopefully stop the blood. She knew it was an almost hopeless task, and wanted to cry but knew she couldn't – not yet.

Her companion stood swiftly and looked around the basement. It didn't take him long to find a cupboard by the washer and dryer filled with old – but clean – linens. He grabbed a handful and made his way back to Sam – over piles of junk.

"Looks like someone was looking for something", he said. "That must be what happened."

"But what? The Colonel wouldn't keep anything classified at his house", she answered as she covered the Colonel as best she could.

"Maybe it didn't have anything to do with the program", he answered. "Maybe it was something personal."

She glanced at her friend, wondering what in the world the Colonel could possibly be involved in that would result in this. She didn't spend long thinking about it though as she could hear – faintly – the sound of sirens. "The ambulance."

Daniel nodded and again stood. "I'll bring them down." He raced back up the stairs.

Sam waited. There was nothing more she could do – nothing except pray. The Colonel looked like death. His face was completely gray and his lips were blue. She could tell, by his labored breathing, that the wound had affected at least one lung. She could also see a small trail of blood from his mouth. Great – not only was he bleeding out, there were obviously internal wounds as well.

"Oh Jack", she said softly, reaching for and holding his cold, cold hand. "Don't you die. Don't you dare die!"

She heard the clatter of boots on the stairs and the next thing she knew the paramedics were there. She breathed a sigh of relief and scooted back to allow them room to work.

By the almost frantic pace of their work – and the orders and requests that were barked out by the two men and one woman paramedic – she knew it didn't look good. They were working as quickly as possible to get him to the hospital.

They threw quick questions at her and she answered as well as she could. She could give his age, his general health (good) and whether or not he had allergies and whether he was on medication. She didn't know who his next of kin was but she gave the General's contact information, sure he would know.

"Okay – let's go", one of the paramedics said. They quickly placed the Colonel on a gurney, and had him up the stairs and out to the ambulance in the space of just a few minutes. Things must be _really_ bad, she thought.

"We can take one person", one of the medics called. "But we have to go now."

Sam looked at Daniel, who gave her a faint smile. "You go Sam. I'll call General Hammond and meet you at the hospital."

"Thanks Daniel." She jumped into the back of the ambulance and instantly they pulled out. She watched the Colonel – and the medic who was again checking his vitals. "It's bad, isn't it?" she asked softly.

The woman lifted her head briefly from her patient. "I won't lie", she said softly. "He's in serious condition but don't give up hope. He looks like a fighter."

Sam gave a choked laugh. "Oh – he is."

"Good – then he just needs to keep fighting." The medic gave her a smile. "Why don't you move up and sit with him. In fact – hold his hand. It often helps to have someone they know close by. You can encourage him not to give up."

Sam smiled – a shaky one it was true – but the medic's words gave her hope. The Colonel _was_ a fighter. "Don't you give up Sir", she told him again. "You keep fighting. We're all here for you and when you're better we'll take you out for cake." Her voice broke and the tears started. He can't die. She wouldn't let him die!

"Come on Jack", she told him softly. "After you get better – you and I are going to go fishing!"


	4. Waiting

_**Thank you again for the lovely reviews! Hope you're feeling better soon Allimoo - I missed you! I'll try and get back to you individually tomorrow. I've been writing and then sleeping. Thanks again.**_

_**Oh - and I hope I haven't screwed up the medical stuff. I try and look it up so if there are mistakes, blame the internet!**_

They almost lost him on the way to the hospital. Sam had watched as the paramedics desperately worked to keep him alive long enough to get him to where the doctors were waiting. She had rarely felt so helpless in her life – all her knowledge and intelligence and skills were useless here – and couldn't help one of the most important people in her life.

She had a brief flashback to Antarctica – but at least there she had tried to do something to help, even if her efforts had only been partially successful. She was also reminded of the time that the Colonel was pinned to the wall, in agony. She _had_ managed to use her skills then to help him. There were other times of course, the most recent being his time spent with Ba'al. Saving him had been a group effort, but at least she'd played an important role.

Now however, all she could do was sit and watch and pray. She thought briefly of the healing device, but knew there wasn't time to bring it back from Nevada, even if it was still usable.

The Tokra were a possibility, but hadn't always been prompt when called – and she knew that Jack would absolutely refuse another symbiote, in case that's all they could do. No – now it was time for Earth medicine to try and save him. She hoped it would be enough.

They pulled into the emergency entrance to the hospital and the Colonel was unloaded and raced inside before she could even blink. One of the paramedics directed her to the emergency waiting area but then hurried after his colleagues. In a matter of moments she was standing alone, wondering what had happened and why. Her mind refused to dwell on the future for it was too frightening to contemplate. She had seen his face as they'd whisked him away – and it had looked like the face of someone who was already leaving this world.

It wasn't until one of the nurses spoke to her that she blinked and came out of her semi-trancelike state. She dutifully followed the woman over to the desk and gave her all the information she could on the Colonel.

"Uh, I'm sorry – I didn't bring his things. I don't – I know he has insurance – he works at Cheyenne Mountain – he's with the Air Force."

"I've got his wallet Sam." Daniel's voice came from behind her and she turned quickly, suddenly wanting to throw her arms around him. He was opening up the Colonel's wallet and soon had the insurance card, which he handed to the nurse. "How is he?"

"I – don't know. He was alive when we arrived but we almost lost him on the way here. They've taken him to the triage unit and told me to wait here."

Daniel was clearly frightened as well, but he could see that Sam was on the verge of breaking so he quickly stepped forward and put his arms around her.

That was all she needed to collapse. She felt the hot tears begin to roll and soon she was shaking, only held up by the strong arms around her. "He looked – he looked -"

"I know Sam", he whispered into her hair. "But he's strong. You know him – he's too stubborn to give up. He'll make it through."

"But he almost died Daniel. They could barely keep him alive long enough to get here."

"But they did, and now the doctors are with him. You have to be strong for him Sam – you can't give up."

"I know – but, why him? Why do these things always happen to him?"

"Sam, we do a dangerous job", he told her gently as he led her to the couch. "_All_ of us have had bad things happen, but it's because we're standing up for what is right and we're fighting against tyranny. That puts us in the way of a lot of bad people and we've had to bear the consequences – and Jack often is the first to throw himself in front of those bad people. But remember – we've always come through – _he's_ always come through and is okay in the end."

"I guess", she agreed half-heartedly. "It just feels like the Colonel has had more than his fair share." She suddenly lifted her head. "Who did this? Why would they want to kill him?"

"I don't know but I contacted Hammond and he's sending over a security team. The police are also on it because of the 911 call. They'll look into it and find whoever was responsible. In the meantime we need to be thinking of Jack."

She nodded. "What about Janet?"

"Hammond said he'd call. I expect she'll be here shortly." True to his word, Janet arrived just a few minutes later and both of them breathed a sigh of relief. If there was anyone they trusted it was Janet Frasier.

The doctor sat beside Sam and reached out and took her hands, which were still covered in dried blood. Janet glanced over at Daniel and nodded to him. "Tell me", was all she said.

Both Sam and Daniel explained all that had happened, or at least all that they knew. "They took him into emergency but we haven't heard anything since then", Sam said, a hiccup in her voice. "I don't know what's happening."

"I'll find out", Janet told her reassuringly. "It's actually good that you haven't heard", she comforted. "That means he's still in there fighting – and the doctors are doing their part. I know it's hard to wait, but the best thing for you is to go get cleaned up -" she held up her hand as Sam attempted to speak. "Sam, it's not helping you or anyone else to have you sit here covered in blood. I'll ask the nurses if they can get you some scrubs and then I want you to wash up. You'll feel better and there's nothing you can do but wait anyway. Daniel, you need to clean up as well. In the meantime I'll find out what's going on."

Both of them finally nodded and watched as the Doctor headed towards the desk. A few minutes later a nurse showed up with some scrubs, towels and soap and pointed them to a place they could wash up.

Sam quickly washed and changed, worried that if she wasn't in the waiting room when Janet got back it would be bad. Logically she knew that wasn't true, but right now she wasn't thinking with the logical side of her brain. In fact, she wasn't thinking at all – she was _feeling._

It was only seconds after she got back to the waiting room, feeling slightly refreshed and much cleaner, that Daniel arrived from his own clean up. She gave him a small smile. "Janet was right", she indicated her new clothes.

"She usually is", Daniel agreed, sitting down beside her and looking her over closely. He was worried about her. Sam was usually the one that was able to keep things together but this time – this time she was close to losing it.

"I'll be okay", Sam assured him, seeming to sense his worry. "It was just - this shouldn't happen, not when we're on down time."

"It should never happen" Daniel corrected her. "No word yet I take it?"

"No. I mean, I know Janet said that's probably a good thing but – I'm so worried Daniel."

He nodded, not knowing what else to say. He was worried too. "He'll make it", he said, trying to reassure himself as much as her. The two of them sat quietly, nothing else really left to say, and waited for word.

It was almost an hour later before Janet returned. By the look on her face it wasn't particularly good news – but it wasn't the worst either. Both Sam and Daniel had learned to read the Doctor's face over the years, and could tell when she was preparing to give bad news.

"So?" Daniel tilted his head back and looked up at the tiny doctor who was standing in front of them.

She sighed and before answering grabbed a chair and pulled it over so that she was closer to her two friends. "He's still alive", she said bluntly, knowing that was the most important fact for now.

"But?" Daniel got to the heart of the matter quickly.

"He's in critical condition. The knife pierced his lung and nicked the pulmonary artery. By the time he was brought in he'd gone into hypovolemic shock due to blood loss. They've been working to stabilize him and replace his blood volume. He's just gone into surgery to repair the chest wound but -"

"But?" he asked again.

"It doesn't look good Daniel. Even if he survives the surgery – which is in question – there's no way of knowing the damage that's been done."

"What kind of damage", Sam asked quietly.

Janet sighed and rubbed her eyes. "With that much blood loss we're talking major organ failure – as of right now his kidneys may or may not have shut down permanently, there could be gangrene in his limbs- the broken leg is especially at risk -"

"_Gangrene_?" Daniel gasped. "How in hell could he get _gangrene_?"

"When the body loses that much blood, what's left in the body goes to the organs – it's the body's way of protecting vital functions. That means that the extremities are in danger of not receiving an adequate blood supply for too long. Look – I'm just telling you what _could_ happen. I don't know anything for sure at this point."

"So, major organ failure and gangrene?"

"That's not all", Janet said, her eyes not wanting to meet those of her friends.

"What Janet – we need the truth." Sam expression was calm, but only because she knew if she allowed the slightest break she'd lose it completely. As it was she was barely hanging on and the news about Jack was devastating, to say the least.

Janet took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. "Brain damage", she said bluntly. "It's highly likely that the Colonel suffered some kind of brain damage. We won't know how much until – if – he wakes up."

Sam closed her eyes. No – there was nothing worse that she could think of than that. The Colonel would rather die. "You're positive?"

"Sam – at this point I'm not positive about anything. You know as well as I do that the human body is unpredictable. The Colonel may come out of this with little or no long term affects – he could have major permanent damage. I just can't say right now."

"It doesn't matter anyway", Daniel said fiercely, standing up and walking towards the small window looking out over the parking lot. "He's going to live, that's all that matters right now – and we'll be there for him regardless of what happens."

There was silence as both of the women looked at him, but slowly Sam nodded. "He's right. What's important is that he survives. The rest – well, we can deal with that later. I can contact – my Dad – and have him bring a – you know what. That should take care of any problem."

Janet nodded although she looked rather doubtful. She didn't know how well a healing device would work on the injuries the Colonel had, but she was certainly willing to try. Just then she glanced up, to see General Hammond walking towards them. He was dressed in his civilian clothes and looked tired.

"Major, Dr. Jackson, Dr. Frasier. Is there any word?"

Janet went through everything again, explaining to the General that O'Neill was still in surgery. He didn't say much, although it was obvious that he was worried about his officer – and friend.

"Any idea who did this to him General?" Daniel wanted to know once Janet was finished.

"No. The security forces have checked his house out carefully but there don't appear to be any clues as to who attacked the Colonel. We'll have to wait and see what he has to say when he wakes up."

For some reason, Hammond's confidence that the Colonel _was_ going to wake up and that he was going to tell them what happened, gave her more hope than anything had done to this moment. And, although Sam knew he really couldn't do anything, she also knew that General Hammond wasn't going to let something like this take away his best officer. She could feel hope begin to seep in.

The four of them remained in the waiting room for hours. Occasionally Janet went to see if she could get an update, but all they told her was that Jack was still in surgery. Hammond also checked in to see if there was any news from the SF's and to check and make sure everything was running smoothly on base. There was no news and everything else was fine, so he sat and waited.

It had been almost nine hours since the Colonel had been brought to the hospital and it was getting close to dinner time. None of them had had more than a coffee and it was Janet who finally looked around and realized she had gotten so caught up in the vigil that she'd ignored the health and well-being of her colleagues.

"Okay everyone – it's time we all got something to eat. I know, I know", she held up her hand, "you aren't hungry. But we need to be here for the Colonel when he gets out of surgery and we won't be any use to him or anyone if we pass out from hunger and exhaustion." She looked over to the General for support.

"Dr. Frasier is correct", he agreed. "I'm going to suggest that we eat in shifts. Two of us can stay here and wait – and call if there's any news. The other two will go down to the cafeteria and get something to eat."

"And I want everyone to step outside and get some fresh air for a few moments. A short walk would be good too. Look, I know it's hard and we all want to be here in case someone comes – but we're not helping the Colonel. Come one – who is going to go first?"

Sam wanted to kick her heels and refuse to move – but one look at Janet and then at the General and she knew she didn't have a choice. With a small groan she stood – her limbs had grown stiff from sitting so long. "I'll go."

"Good." Janet stood up too. "I'll come with you if it's okay with the men?" Both Hammond and Daniel nodded. "We'll be back in a little while and then you can go. Come on Sam."

The two women walked slowly down the hallway towards the cafeteria, both too caught up in their thoughts to speak. It wasn't until they'd both served themselves some food and sat down that they began to talk.

"What are we going to do Janet? What if it's – bad?"

"We'll take one day at a time Sam."

Sam snorted. "A cliché Janet?"

That made the doctor laugh. "The Colonel would never let me live that down, would he?"

"No – but I guess it's a cliché because it's true. There really isn't anything we _can_ do, is there?"

"We can be there for him – I know, another cliché, but also true. He'd going to need us, especially if there's -" she stopped talking and shrugged.

"But there is a possibility right? I mean, he could be okay?"

"Of course. He's one of the toughest people I've ever seen Sam – if anyone can get through this it's the Colonel. And then there's the – uh – thing your father has – hopefully that will work if we need it."

There was a pause and then Sam looked up directly at her friend. "I think I made a mistake Janet."

The doctor frowned. "What do you mean?"

"The zatarc test – I made a mistake. I – shouldn't have agreed to keep it in the room. Oh God Janet", she suddenly cried, dropping her head down. "I – I love him and I could lose him and never have the chance to tell him!"

Janet stared at her for a moment, her eyebrows raised. After a second she reached out and covered the other woman's hand. "I know Sam. And – you still have time, I'm sure of it."

"But even if he gets better, the regulations are still there. I don't know what to do."

"Look– there _is_ time to figure that out. Let's get the Colonel back on his feet and then you and he can talk. I agree you need to resolve this, but now is not the time to be worrying about it."

"No", Sam laughed bitterly. "I'll wait until he's all better and then things will just go back to the way they were before. That's always what happens."

"Well, this time it's up to you to make sure they don't. Look, you know the Colonel will never say or do anything – he _can't_ – not if he doesn't want to get into trouble. So you have to decide what you want. But again, this _isn't_ the time to make that decision. You will have time to do that later. Now finish your dinner! It's time to get back and let the men eat."

Sam sighed and then laughed – a small one, but this time it was real. "What would I do without you Janet?" she asked.

Her friend grinned and stood up and then reached her hand down. "Come on, let's get going. And what would you do? Oh, you'd keep getting into trouble with your teammates – but there wouldn't be anyone there to heal your butts. Now stop worrying and let's go see how the Colonel is doing."

Daniel and the General went and grabbed a quick bite but soon returned to the waiting room. By this time everyone was exhausted but there was no way they were going to leave until they heard how the Colonel was doing.

"I wish Teal'c was here", Sam suddenly broke the silence.

"Yeah, me too", Daniel agreed. "He has a knack for making you think everything's going to be okay."

Just then the doors to the emergency wing opened and a man walked out. He was wearing a white medical coat and the four people waiting looked at him expectantly.

"Are you here for Jonathan O'Neill?" he asked.

"Yes", Daniel rose up and spoke. "You're his surgeon?"

"Yes, I'm Dr. Laroque – uh, can I ask – are any of you family?"

"I'm Colonel O'Neill's commanding officer", George stepped forward and shook the doctor's hand, "and this is his doctor, Dr. Frasier. These two are members of his team and are like family. I'm afraid he doesn't have any actual family who live close by. I've informed his brother and sister, but they won't be here until tomorrow."

"I see", Dr. Laroque looked curiously at the four of them but then gave a small smile. "So, to cut to the chase, Colonel O'Neill made it out of surgery and he's in recovery right now. He'll be taken to the Intensive Care Unit shortly."

"How is he doctor?" Janet stepped forward.

"Well, the wound was a serious one, but could have been worse. If it had been even a fraction of a millimeter over he wouldn't have made it. I'm afraid the worst thing we're dealing with is the loss of blood. We're still watching him closely to see how he's responding to the surgery and to the increase in blood volume. We've placed a heart catheter to monitor him and we're also checking his kidney and liver function carefully. He's on a respirator and will be for the foreseeable future – at least until his lung heals. Fortunately his leg seems to be fine – it was a simple break and there doesn't appear to be any residual effects from the blood loss. As much as I hate to say it because I know it sounds trite – but, well, the next 24 to 48 hours are critical. If he makes it through those, then his prognosis is good."

"Can we see him?" Sam stepped forward, not having said anything until this point.

"I can allow one person in for just for a few minutes each hour. The nurses have to have access to him and it's rather crowded in there. I'll have one of the nurses come and tell you when he's settled and you can decide who should go in." He turned to leave but then looked back with a sincere expression on his face. "I know this is hard – but stay positive when you're with him. As long as he keeps fighting he should make it."

"Thank you doctor", Hammond stepped forward and put out his hand. "We can't tell you how much we appreciate what you've done. Jack O'Neill is – special – to a lot of people."

"I'm just doing my job", Laroque said with a smile, "although I must admit I'm pleased when someone like the Colonel makes it through. I doubted for a while there – but he's a tough one." With another smile he nodded at his patient's friends and headed back toward the emergency ward.

The four people he left all stood there, staring after him. They were exhausted, and worried but now full of a tiny bit of hope. It was Daniel who first moved. "He's going to be okay."

"Yes – yes he is", Janet nodded. She wasn't going to let any doubts in – not now, not when the Colonel needed them to be strong.

"Like the doctor said, Jack's a tough one. In fact, I don't think I've ever met anyone tougher. He's going to be just fine." Hammond stood tall – even without his uniform looking the general he was. He too was going to make sure he stayed strong and positive – and be sure that Jack was going to survive.

Suddenly all three of them turned and faced Sam. She hadn't said anything since her question to the doctor, and was still looking at where the doctor had disappeared. Finally, with a deep breath, she lifted her head and smiled. "Of course he's going to be okay. He's Jack O'Neill and he _has_ to be okay."


	5. ICU

_**This story won't be too long - probably 2 or 3 more chapters. Hope you're still enjoying and remember - reviews DO make me write faster (hint, hint).**_

In the end everyone agreed that Janet should be the one to go in and see Jack. She could report back, in greater detail, how he was doing. The good doctor gave one intent glance at the Major, but at Sam's quick shake of her head Janet nodded and said she'd go in first.

The nurse who appeared moments later gave them all a sympathetic smile and then led the SGC's medic away with her. "Hi Dr. Frasier", she said quietly as they walked down the corridor. "You probably don't remember me – Nurse Flynn – I used to work at the Academy Hospital."

"I thought you looked familiar Nurse", Janet's lipped moved in an upward motion, although she was still too raw to feel anything but worry.

"Don't worry Doctor – we'll take good care of Colonel O'Neill", Flynn said. "I know of him from my days at Academy. He's a fighter."

"That he is." This time Janet's smile reached her eyes. At that instant they arrived at the ICU and seconds later she was standing beside the Colonel's bed. "Oh Jack!" She should be used to this, after all these years, but when it was a friend it was always hard. She reached out and gently swept his hair off his forehead. "When are you going to learn to stay out of trouble Sir?"

She stood, simply watching him as the minutes ticked by. It was when she saw the movement of the ICU nurse out of the corner of her eye that she finally moved. "Can I see his chart?"

"Sure." Nurse Flynn handed it to her, knowing that Janet was his doctor and as such could have access to his records. "He's stable, although his temperature is a bit high and his blood pressure is still too low. It's improving though."

Janet nodded and looked down at the chart. Normally she was quick at reading what the numbers had to say but this time she had to look at them twice before they meant anything to her. She was tired – tired and terribly worried. Jack was in critical shape and she knew that what his surgeon had said was true – the next couple of days would be crucial.

She raised her head from the paperwork to look at the actual patient. As much as she relied on modern tests and technology, she knew that sometimes the personal touch was what was needed. She examined his face, shocked again by the pallor of his skin – the grey undertones giving the appearance of someone on the verge of death. If it wasn't for the steady hiss of the ventilator attesting to the fact that he was still breathing – even if only with help – she would have worried that he'd already died.

It had only been a day, no longer, since this happened but she could have sworn that he'd already lost weight. He looked gaunt and drawn – the skin on his face appearing as if worn leather stretched over bone.

Perhaps the worst thing of all – and yet something she should have been immune to – was all the machines, tubes and cords that surrounded him. She knew they were keeping him alive – monitoring him, pumping in life-saving fluids, carrying away wastes and poisons – and yet it looked like the ultimate violation of a strong and brave man. He looked so lost – so vulnerable – so alone lying there, that she wanted to cry. Suddenly she was glad it was she who had come. She didn't know how, or if, the others could deal with seeing him like this. General Hammond could handle it and maybe Teal'c – it would have been devastating for Daniel and especially for Sam.

She reached out again at that and gently laid her hand atop that of the Colonel. "They send their love Jack – all of your team and General Hammond – and the men and women on the base. I'm to tell you to stay tough and not to give up. We all know you can get through this and we're here for you." She pressed her lips together, breathing quickly so as not to cry. It was only when she was sure she could continue that she spoke.

"Sam – Sam is here. She cares for you Colonel – do you know that? If you – if you refuse to fight and let go then you'll be leaving her behind and you know what you always say about that. She needs you Colonel – we all need you, so don't you dare give up."

She sat for a long time – the nurses not bothering her even though she stayed longer than was usually permitted in ICU. They knew she was a doctor – his doctor – and they also knew that sometimes the presence of a friend or loved one meant the difference between a patient who lived and one who died.

Finally realizing that she should get back Janet stood slowly. She leaned forward and gave Jack a soft kiss on the cheek. "That's from Sam and me", she told him softly. With a gentle smile and another sweep of his hair she stepped away from the bed. "You keep fighting Jack!"

* * *

"How is he?" Sam looked up quickly as Janet entered the waiting area, her eyes like two burnt sockets. Daniel and Hammond looked as bad and the doctor sighed. She'd have to do something about this.

"He's holding his own", she said. "As the doctor said, we won't know for sure until a day or two has passed, but for now he's steady."

"How does he look?" Daniel asked, although his expression gave evidence to the fact that he wasn't sure if he really wanted to know or not.

"He looks like someone who is hurt and sick", Janet said gently. "But everyone looks that way in ICU and it doesn't mean anything. The nurses are great – one of them came from the Academy Hospital and knows of Colonel O'Neill and promised me they'd take extra good care of him." Janet knew that they took excellent care of all their patients, but she thought it was something that might help the Colonel's friends to think he was getting extra care.

"When can we go back in?"

"I'll go back and check on him in a while. I don't think there's any need for any of you – not now. He's unconscious and hooked up to a myriad of machines. It's – distressing, although it's what he needs. Let me handle this for now and you can see him as soon as he's awake."

"No Janet", Sam shook her head, calmly but vehemently. "He needs to know we're here for him – _with_ him. I'll go in next."

"But Sam -"

"The Major's right doctor." This time Hammond backed up Major Carter. "I know it's difficult seeing a friend like that – but it's worse imagining it. We appreciate that you're here and know you'll watch out for him but – I think his team need to be there as well."

Janet Frasier nodded. They were both right. As much as she wanted to protect them, it was better that they be able to spend time with him. "Okay, but not everyone should stay in the waiting room. I'm going to arrange a room here and we're going to take turns resting. Doctor's orders – and I don't want any arguments – even from you Sir!"

Hammond chuckled. "I wouldn't dream of it Doctor. I'm afraid I'm going to have to get back to the SGC anyway – I spoke to Walter and everyone is wondering what's going on. I need to speak to the folks there and let them know. I'll come back in a few hours and go in to see Jack then." He looked sternly at Doc Frasier. "You'll call me if anything …?"

"Of course Sir", she nodded. "Don't worry, and thank you General."

The General gave them some words of encouragement and headed towards the door. As he passed Sam he reached out and gave her shoulder a squeeze. As she watched him leave it crossed her mind that maybe he knew more about her feelings for the Colonel than she knew. If he did, however, he had never said anything.

* * *

"Sam, Sam."

"Wha – ". Someone was shaking her. Was it time to get up already? "Let me sleep Dad", she muttered. She was so tired.

"_Sam_!"

Her eyes snapped open and her eyes met the concerned ones of Janet Frasier, who was leaning over her cot.

"What?" She turned her head, confused. Where was she? It took her a moment but then everything came rushing back and she sat up suddenly, almost cracking heads with her friend.

"Whoa Sam – it's okay. You made me promise to wake you up after a couple of hours."

"Janet – the Colonel? How is he? Is he okay? Is something wrong?"

Janet sat on the cot beside her and reached out and put her hands on Sam's arms. "He's fine Sam – he's still stable. I just thought that maybe you'd like to go and see him and let Daniel sleep for a while."

At that Sam looked over the doc's shoulders to see a very bleary eyed Daniel smiling at her. "Janet and I got bored of playing Gin Rummy", he explained.

Her eyes flickered between her two friends. "You're sure he's okay?"

"He is", Daniel nodded. "I went and saw him about an hour ago and the nurse said he's hanging in there. You can go now if you want."

She didn't need any more encouragement, but swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up, so quickly that the blood rushed to her head and Daniel had to rush over and steady her.

"Hey, be careful", he cautioned. "We don't need you getting hurt too."

"I'm fine." She tried to pull away from him but Janet reached out and again held onto her.

"Sam – go to the bathroom and wash your face and freshen up. It'll only take a minute and you'll feel better. You don't want to go see the Colonel with sand in your eyes and sheet marks all over your face."

Sam lifted her hand to her face at that and then let out a tired giggle. "The Colonel would tease me no end, wouldn't he."

"You betcha!" Janet smiled back at her. "Come on, I'll go with you. Daniel", she pointed to the cot. "Sleep!"

"Hey – what about you?" the tired archaeologist complained half-heartedly. "You've got to be exhausted too."

"I am. Nurse Flynn told me I can bunk down in the doctor's resting room. There's no one else there now. As soon as I take Sam to the Colonel's room I'm going to crash for a while. They know where to find me if they need me."

* * *

Sam stood outside Colonel O'Neill's room and took a deep breath. She was desperate to see him – but frightened at the same time. Both Daniel and Janet had warned her that he looked terribly ill so she was prepared, at least as prepared as you could ever be. She thought back briefly to Antarctica and remembered the Colonel dying in front of her. She'd gotten through that – she could get through this.

With that she pushed open the door and walked in.

The first thing she noticed were the low lights – and how quiet everything was, except for the gentle hum and whoosh of the machines that surrounded him. She walked slowly to his side and let out a small whimper. God – he looked so – pale, so lifeless. The tube sticking out of his mouth, which was helping him breathe, was a reminder of the dreadful wound he'd suffered. She felt a wave of anger – if she ever found out who had done this she'd make them wish they'd never been born!

"Oh Jack!" She wanted to reach out and touch him, but was worried that she'd do something to hurt him. Her hand hovered helplessly above him.

"It's okay", a soft voice startled her. "You can touch him. In fact, it helps."

Sam moved until she saw a young nurse standing smiling at her.

"You're sure?"

"Oh yes. Just watch the IV's. Are you related to the Colonel?" the young woman – her name tag said 'Irene Zemenko' – asked.

"Uh – no. I'm on his team. I'm Air Force", she explained. "The Colonel is my commanding officer."

The nurse looked surprised, but then smiled again. "Just pull up a chair and let him know you're here. Like I said, touch is good – I think it helps them to know someone they care about is here."

Sam gave a tentative smile back and nodded. She could do that. She pulled the chair closer and took the Colonel's hand. It was hot – too hot – and very dry, but at the same time she could feel the strength that was contained in his hands. She's always loved them – the long fingers, so strong and yet often so gentle. She rubbed her fingers lightly over the calluses and spoke to him.

"Hi Colonel", she said softly and then could have kicked herself. Right now this wasn't about his rank or her professional relationship to him. She was here as his friend. "Jack", she corrected. "I guess Janet and Daniel have both been to see you. I'm glad it's my turn." She continued to caress his hand, wishing that he would respond but knowing he was too deeply unconscious to really feel it.

"We were worried about you, but the doctors say you're going to be okay. You just need to stay strong. We're going to stay here with you until you're up and around and bugging Daniel again." She could feel the tears start to gather in her eyes – looking at him was so hard. This wasn't the Colonel, not this still, pale looking man. He was usually so full of energy, of life. This looked like nothing so much as a shell of the real man. "Oh Jack", she said again as she lifted his hand and pressed it to her cheek. She then turned it and kissed the back of it gently. "You have to get better, okay? We miss you …. we miss you so much!"

* * *

He felt strange. No – I take that back, he thought – I don't feel anything, which in itself was strange. He tried to figure out where he was, but everything was blank. He certainly couldn't see which was rather disconcerting, but for some reason it didn't bother him quite the way he thought it should. So, he couldn't see or feel – then how did he know he was even alive? Hell, maybe he wasn't. Was this death? Had he died and gone to – uh – nowhere?

If he had died, and this was all there was, then it wasn't that great. Again, he thought he should be more upset about it but maybe that was a good thing. It could be that he was in limbo and there was nothing – no sights or sounds or feeling – no worries, no regrets – nothing.

But wait … there _were_ sounds. He strained to hear them again but it had been fleeting – almost the awareness of sound rather than actually hearing something. No – there it was again. But _what_ was it?

"_Jack."_ There, his name was whispered softly. Who was calling him? He heard something else and for some reason he felt himself relax. He wanted to laugh at that reaction, but couldn't even do that. He was relaxing when he hadn't even known he'd felt tense – or anything at all for that matter. But the sound, whatever it was, was soothing – it made him think that everything was okay, or at least _would_ be okay. Wherever he was, there was something out there – something that was connected to him.

And then – oh God – touch! He felt something. There was a fleeting feeling on his – he thought it was his hand but wasn't quite sure. God this was frustrating. He couldn't quite tell where his body started or ended – and whether the sound or the touch was someone else or just the imaginings of his mind.

It happened again and he felt a burst of – relief, joy, _something_. It _was_ someone else. There was someone there, someone who cared and was keeping him connected. Connected? To what? To life idiot, a small voice said.

So – I'm not dead. He made a mental frown – he didn't know if he could _actually_ frown, since he couldn't feel his forehead, but inside he knew he was frowning. For some reason he thought he _should_ be dead. Hadn't he been dying? He was pretty sure he had been, but how or why he had no idea.

"_We miss you so much …"_

Okay – he'd heard that! He really had. _And_ he knew what it said. The person talking missed him. Why – where did he go? Oh, maybe he'd died and they … no, he wasn't dead, he wasn't. He was alive, he was sure of it. So, if he was alive, why did they miss him?

He could feel that mental frown deepen. He was tired, so tired, and wanted to sleep. He didn't understand anything but at that moment decided not to let it worry him. He was not dead and there was someone there – or here, he didn't know which – who cared and who would stay with him. That's all he needed to know.

Oh that thought he allowed himself to fade out. He was just so tired ….

* * *

"His vital signs look like they're improving", Irene smiled at her. She was doing the quarter-hour check. "His blood pressure is up – it's still a bit low but it's getting better. Most of his other vitals are looking better too."

"Most?" Sam instantly caught that qualifier – too trained to look and listen for details to miss it.

"Well, some things take longer to come back", the nurse told her gently. "His kidney function isn't what it should be – not yet, but there's still time for that."

"What about – what about his brain? The doctor mentioned the possibility …?"

"I'm afraid we won't really know until he wakes up", she was told. "There's plenty of brain activity, so that's good, but until the doctors do some tests it's impossible to really tell. But right now things are looking really good", she encouraged. "So have hope."

"I do", Sam smiled, glancing down again at the man who meant so much to her. "He's a stubborn one", she suddenly confided. "If anyone will refuse to let this get him down, it's Jack O'Neill."

"Doesn't surprise me", Irene grinned. "I can usually tell just by looking at people. When I saw your Colonel I knew he was trouble." When Sam looked at her in surprise she grinned even wider. "Those are the ones that do the best", she told the woman seated by the bed. "They're the ones that refuse to let anything defeat them."

"Yeah", Sam chuckled lightly. "That's the Colonel all right."

"Look – I know I probably should let the doctor tell you this, but just stay strong and stay with him. I have a feeling he's going to make it, but it's going to be hard. He has a fight in front of him – and there will probably be setbacks – but with you by his side he'll make it."

Sam looked at her, startled. "But I'm not – I just – he's my CO."

"Of course he is!" Irene gently patted her shoulder and then returned to her desk outside the glass window where she began to record the latest results on her computer.

Sam snorted softly and glanced over at the Colonel. He did look a bit better. "Well Sir – you're doing well, so now's the time to be your stubborn self!"

* * *

Over the next 36 hours the three of them continued to visit Jack whenever they could. The nurses allowed them to stay longer than their allotted time, seeming to be okay with working around them. The General stopped by a few times and had a chance to sit with the Colonel on two occasions. He came out looking serious and rather pale, but on hearing that Jack was improving just nodded. "Of course he is", he agreed.

He brought numerous greetings and well-wishes from the base. "Everyone wants to do something, but I've told them to wait until the Colonel is out of ICU. I think they've already started to collect money to buy things for his recovery." He laughed softly. "The medical staff here don't know it yet, but they're going to be very grateful when people start bringing things to keep him occupied."

"You'll have him stay here?" Daniel asked in surprise. "I thought you'd have him transferred to the Infirmary when he's well enough to travel."

"No – maybe to the Academy hospital", the General told him. "Dr. Frasier and I agree that it's better for him to be in a place he can have access to outside and sunlight. Since this wasn't anything caused by – outside forces – there's no security risk."

* * *

It was almost 48 hours after he'd been brought in that the Colonel decided to wake up. It was Daniel who was with him at the time – and it took a few seconds before he actually realized that Jack's eyes were open – even if only at half-mast – and he was watching the archaeologist.

"Jack!" Daniel started and almost fell off his chair when he realized. "Oh God – you're awake!"

Jack frowned slightly, although it was obvious even that small effort was hard. He tried to speak but couldn't. He then tried to lift his hand – but was too weak. The heart monitor started to speed up as he began to panic.

"Jack – _Jack_! It's okay." Daniel placed his hands on Jack's arms. "Listen to me – you have a breathing tube in – let it do the work. Just relax!" He looked in relief as the duty nurse hurried in, a syringe in her hand.

"It's okay Colonel", she soothed as she uncapped the needle and placed it in the IV port. "You're okay." She looked at Daniel. "Keep talking to him and trying to calm him down. He's fighting the ventilator."

"Jack – look at me." Daniel put his hands on Jack's face. "You are on a ventilator – you're okay. Just relax!" It took a few seconds, but finally Daniel's voice – and the sedative – managed to calm him down. Soon his breathing steadied and the monitors quieted. At that point his eyes began to wander around the room as if he was trying to make sense of everything.

"Jack – you were hurt", Daniel again reached out and put his hands on the other man's face and turned him slightly to look at him. "You're in hospital. You'll be okay – you had an injury to a lung which is why they have you on the breathing tube. Do you understand?"

Jack blinked at him blearily a couple of times and Daniel was sure his friend didn't understand. It worried him – God, did this mean there was brain damage? After a couple of beats, however, Jack gave a small nod.

That instantly made Daniel grin – and want to holler. "Great! Jack – you're going to be okay, I promise. You just need to rest and get better. Soon they'll take this thing out, okay?"

Another nod, but then the eyes began to shift. Two small lines again appeared on his forehead and he grew restless, as if he wanted to ask something but couldn't.

"What is it Jack?" Daniel knew that his friend was frustrated at not being able to speak. He wondered briefly if he should bring in some paper and a pencil although he doubled Jack was up to writing anything. As the wounded man's eyes kept moving, it suddenly dawned on Daniel that he was looking for something – or someone! "Jack – the others are waiting outside. Janet and Sam and even General Hammond have all been at the hospital with you. Teal'c's still visiting his family. They'll only let one of us in at a time so that's why I'm here now. This is the Intensive Care Unit." At that the Colonel's eyes snapped back to Daniel and he gave another small nod. He then grew even calmer and soon his eyes began to slowly drift shut.

"That was great Dr. Jackson", the nurse, who was still standing to one side of the bed, looked at him and beamed. "He understood you and he responded. That's the best news we could have! I'm going to call the doctor and let him know the Colonel was awake and responsive. You might want to let your friends know."

"Yeah", Jackson grinned again. "Yeah, I'll let them know right now!"

He walked swiftly down the corridor towards the cafeteria where he knew that Sam and Janet were having a cup of coffee. When he arrived he looked around the room until he saw the two exhausted and somber looking women sitting at a table. He hurried over.

"Daniel?" Sam glanced up at his swift approach. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Nothing Sam", Daniel smiled. "He woke up – and he understood me and responded. He's going to be okay!"

"Oh thank God!" Sam bowed her head and burst into tears.

_**Since I am so remiss in writing individual thank you's to all of you who take the time to read and review, I wanted to acknowledge you here. It means a huge amount to me to get your comments and to know you enjoy my stories. Some of you are incredibly faithful reviewers (you know who you are) – so thank you for always taking the time to write. I love you! And thanks to all you new reviewers, anonymous reviewers or those who only think to do it occasionally – it means a lot and I can't say enough in thanks to you! So, in the order in which I received your review, thank you to: **_Schatze, Crazy Woman, pain in the mitka, Fanka, Froggy, Smiffy, Elizabeth, Yol, awishaway, Kahuna, EVM1, Saissa, RhizOneill, Susant, dpdp, AnnaCecilia, PatriciaS, PhoenixFire, dcmom, Kathy, Zoser, djenie, Demetra, Alimoo, Katetanic, and of course all the guests who leave anonymous (but greatly appreciated) reviews.


	6. Breathing

_**Wow - thank you all so much for the awesome reviews! it was so great to hear from you - and, in appreciate for taking the time to read and review, here is my next chapter. I'll keep them coming fast and furious.**_

"Colonel O'Neill."

"Jack."

"Come on Sir – you can do it."

The voices were disturbing him again. He used the word 'again' because he was pretty sure he'd heard them before. They kept calling his name, and he kept ignoring them, because somewhere, at a deep level, he knew that to pay attention, to respond was to invite in something he really didn't want.

He was comfortable in this 'nothingness'. He didn't have to worry about anyone or anything and he didn't have to feel anything. He could simply exist in a void, and for now he was happy to be there.

"_Colonel O'Neill?"_

Except the damn voices were becoming ever more insistent and ever more annoying. He let go an inner sigh, knowing that sooner or later he'd have to answer them. But not right now – and maybe not soon. Later – he'd respond – later.

"Why isn't he waking up?" Daniel's voice was tight with worry. "It's been almost three days. Shouldn't he be waking up by now?"

Janet exhaled, not knowing who she was more frustrated at – the Colonel, for not waking up, or Daniel for not _shutting_ up. "Daniel, I've _told _you – he'll wake up when he's ready to wake up."

"But shouldn't he be ready? I mean, the doctor says he's doing better. There's no reason for him to still be unconscious."

"The doctor said he's doing _better_", the doctor answered. "That doesn't mean he's out of the woods yet. He's still very sick Daniel."

"Maybe he doesn't want to wake up", Sam said softly, peering down at the still form of Jack O'Neill. He looked terrible, although not quite as badly as those first couple of days. There was a bit of color in his cheeks, although they were still way too pale. The respirator hadn't yet been removed – the doctor didn't want to chance it until the Colonel was conscious and he was confident his blood oxygen would stay level.

"What do you mean?" Daniel looked at her in shock. "Why wouldn't he want to wake up?"

"Daniel, his last waking memory must have been of crawling across his basement floor, trying to get help. He probably thought he was going to die down there." Her voice cracked and she clenched her fists. "What if he doesn't realize that we found him, that he's safe?"

The archaeologist swallowed and then took a deep breath. "Oh God – I hadn't thought of that. Could that be true Janet?"

Janet looked as if she didn't want to answer but finally she shrugged. "I don't know, but it's a possibility. It's not uncommon for victims to wake up, not knowing they're okay, but still thinking they're back in the same bad situation as when they were hurt."

"What should we do?" This time the younger man was staring down at his friend, clearly wanting to help but not sure how.

"Talk to him", Janet said gently, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Let him know that he's safe, that we're here. Eventually we should get through to him and he'll want to come around."

"I think only one of us should speak to him at a time", Sam was also still looking at the Colonel. "He's probably hearing a bunch of voices and it's confusing him."

"I agree. Look, I'm going to go and see if I can talk to his doctor and see if the latest test results are back. Daniel – why don't you go and get some coffee and let Sam stay here for a while. She can talk to the Colonel without all of us bothering him."

Daniel laughed sheepishly. "You know, that's probably exactly the problem. There's no one who can tune people out quite like Jack when he doesn't want to hear what you have to say. I know – he's done it to me a million times."

Janet snorted and patted him on the back as they walked to the door. "Sam – we're leaving you in charge of the Colonel. Just talk to him gently, maybe that will bring him around. But don't get upset if it doesn't work. He'll wake up in his own time. Remember – it's the Colonel!"

She couldn't help the soft chuckle that escaped as her friends left and she remained with the unconscious man. "Don't tell me you're just being obstinate Jack O'Neill", she told him quietly. "We want to see those beautiful eyes again. Daniel told us you woke up once, so you can do it again."

The ICU nurse came in at that moment and checked the Colonel's IV and his blood pressure and oxygen levels. She smiled at Sam. "Still looking good", was all she said and then she left.

Sam was silent all the while the nurse was checking the still unconscious man but after she'd gone Sam started speaking again. "You know Sir, Daniel is going to be hurt if you refuse to wake up for him. He may just come back and start telling you all about the ruins we found on the planet Hadrasha. She chuckled again. "Hey – I know what to do – I'll start talking technobabble to you if you _don't_ wake up. How about that for an incentive? I know how much you enjoy it and that you'll do _anything_ to get out of listening to it. So, let's see … hmmm – why don't I tell you about cosmic inflation? And no – I don't mean blowing up the cosmos like a balloon – nor do I mean the rising prices across the galaxy!" She looked at Jack closely, but he hadn't moved at all and certainly didn't seem aware of anything. She sighed.

"So, the question is, if inflation happened at one point, is it self-sustaining through inflation of quantum-mechanical fluctuations, and thus ongoing in some extremely distant place?" When the Colonel didn't respond to that she went on to discuss in detail the extremely difficult question that physicists had grappled with for years. At first she watched the Colonel carefully, to see if there was any reaction (which there wasn't), but after a while she got carried away by her own soliloquy. It was actually an extremely interesting question and she wondered briefly if the Asgard knew the answer. She'd have to ask them.

Something touched her hand and she squealed in surprise, her heart beating a mile a minute. "What?" She looked around, expecting to see Daniel or Janet, but when it was clear no one had entered she paused. It took her two more seconds to realize – and then she looked down.

"Oh my God – Jack!" O'Neill was gazing out at her with open eyes, although they looked hazy and unfocused. His hand had moved slightly and had touched hers, but he clearly didn't have the strength to do any more than that. "You're awake!" She smiled and put her hand over his, giving it a slight squeeze. She was even more thrilled when she could feel his hand move slightly – it wasn't a return squeeze, but it was clearly a response.

"Oh Jack – it's so good to see you awake Sir! You're okay." She squeezed his hand again. If what Janet had said was true, he would need reassurance that everything was fine. "You're in the hospital but you're going to be okay. You were hurt but the doctor says you'll soon be better."

She could see him suddenly trying to swallow and then he frowned. She could tell by the heart monitor that he was beginning to panic and she stood up and leaned over him, her hands now holding both of his. "Listen to me Sir", she said plainly. "You have a breathing tube in – it's to help you. The doctor will take it out soon, but don't fight it. You're okay – I'm here and I won't leave you. You're okay Jack", she repeated.

He finally seemed to understand what she was saying and she could tell he was making a conscious effort to calm down. The heart monitor slowed down and his hands became relaxed. He continued to gaze at her, although every few seconds he would blink a few times as if to try and clear his vision – or maybe it was his mind.

"I bet it was my talk on cosmic inflation that woke you up Sir – wasn't it?" She smiled at him, hoping to see him try and grin in return. He only looked confused at her words and she wanted to kick herself. He wasn't in any shape to be teasing him. "It's okay – I'm here with you. Daniel went to get coffee but he'll be back soon."

That received a small nod and he relaxed even more. She smiled at him. "Janet will be here soon too – she's making sure the doctors are taking good care of you." At the sudden frown lines on the Colonel's face she tilted her head, wondering what was worrying him now. She thought back to what she's said.

He continued to stare at her and look worried so she started to explain, hopefully to relieve his mind.

"You're at Memorial Hospital, not in the Infirmary. They brought you here after you were hurt. Janet is monitoring you closely however. You know her – she'll make sure her chicks are well looked after."

Again O'Neill nodded, although his eyes looked as if they were growing heavy. The nurses had explained that he'd have trouble staying awake for quite a while once he started recuperating. His body had been through a major trauma – that and the extreme blood loss would cause exhaustion for quite a long time.

"You sleep Sir", Sam told him softly, reaching up and gently running her fingers through his hair. He continued to watch her until his eyes closed for the last time and he was sound asleep.

It was another few minutes before Daniel returned, followed almost immediately by Janet.

"He woke up", she told them with a smile. "He was awake longer this time and I think he understood me. He just fell asleep a few minutes ago."

"That's great Sam", Janet beamed and walked over to take a closer look at the man she still regarded as _her_ patient. "His vitals look good", she said, for the first time sounding optimistic.

"How did you do it?" Daniel wanted to know as he handed her a coffee.

"I talked about cosmic inflation", she told them, and then giggled at their stares. "Well, you know how much the Colonel hates my technobabble – I figured if I started talking about physics he'd wake up just to make me stop."

Janet continued to stare for a minute and then burst out laughing. "Oh my God Sam – that's brilliant."

Even Daniel was laughing and soon all three of them were practically rolling on the floor. It wasn't really that funny – but for the first time since they'd found Jack they felt like there was real hope that he'd be okay. It was the relief from stress and anguish that caused their reactions.

The duty nurse walked in at that moment and smiled as well. She didn't scold them for disturbing the Colonel, rather she knew that being surrounded by laughter and happiness could only be good for him.

* * *

Laughter? He was sure he heard people laughing. He questioned briefly if he should be worried, but then realized he liked it. He allowed it to surround him and he slept.

The next thing he heard was something about Sumerians. He didn't have a clue what they were, but somehow knew he didn't _want_ to know. Fortunately the voice stopped as soon as his eyes opened.

"Jack!" the voice said joyfully. "It worked again!"

He had no idea what had worked, but he was pleased to see Daniel sitting beside him. He was still unsure of what was going on, but he did know that he liked having his friends close by. He blinked a couple of times and looked around the room. Sam? Wasn't she here?

"Sam just went home to shower and change", Daniel told him, moving up and leaning down so that he was closer to his friend. "We were all getting pretty ripe."

Jack frowned at that, not sure what Daniel meant. He tried to speak and realized again that something was in his throat. He started to panic, but after a second figured out that it was helping him breathe. Damn – he hated that! Besides the discomfort, its presence must mean he was hurt pretty badly – which instantly worried him.

What was wrong with him? He could barely move – had he lost a limb? Was he paralyzed? God – he wished someone would –

"Jack! Relax!" Daniel's hand touched his arm and he looked at the man with the desperate question clear in his eyes.

"You're okay Jack" the younger man told him clearly. "You were stabbed in the chest, but you're getting better. The doctor just wanted to keep the ventilator in to give your lung a chance to heal. Other than that you just have a broken leg." For some reason, at Jack's serious frown Daniel felt the urge to laugh. He could just hear the Colonel start to bitch and complain about _another_ broken leg. "It's not a bad break", he explained. "You should be up and around in no time."

This time Jack gave a small nod and allowed himself to relax and simply stare at the archaeologist. Daniel couldn't help but smile – even though Jack still looked like hell, he was alive and he was getting better. "So, you want me to tell you some more about the Sumerians?"

The look of panic on Jack's face made him laugh. "I was just kidding." The look of complete relief that greeted his statement made him want to laugh again, but this time he held back. He didn't think his friend was quite up to teasing, even though he hadn't been able to resist doing it a bit.

Instead he simply spoke gently to his friend, telling him how they missed him and about the various nurses who had been looking after him. It wasn't long before the man's eyes drooped and soon he was sound asleep.

"Doctor", Janet smiled at the pulmonary specialist who had been assigned to Jack's case. She was extremely pleased at the care the Colonel had been given and knew that this man had been largely responsible for keeping the officer alive – he and Dr. Laroque, the surgeon.

"Doctor Frasier hello – and how's our patient today?" He glanced over at Jack, who was lying staring at the ceiling. It had been four days since he was admitted and he'd been awake half a dozen times. For the last few times he'd begun to demand that they remove the breathing tube and even though he couldn't actually speak, his wishes had been loud and clear.

"He seems to be doing better although he's still pretty groggy. He also wants to get rid of the ventilator."

"Mmm", Dr. Benjamin looked again at the chart. "Grogginess is to be expected and he'll probably be that way for a while, both from the blood loss and all the medication he's on." He gave Janet a kind smile. "I know you know that. Uh, his oxygen levels are up, athough not quite where I'd like them to be. We can try and remove it but we'll have to monitor him closely and if it looks like his levels are dropping we'll have to re-intubate."

Janet nodded, knowing what the doctor was saying was reasonable. "May I tell him?"

"Of course. I'll just tell the nurse and we can get this done in the next few minutes. I'm sure the Colonel is anxious to be able to communicate and breathe on his own. Uh – you might want to have his wife with him when we take it out. It will help to have someone he cares about by his side. "

"The Colonel's not married", she told him quickly, although she decided at that moment that Sam _should_ be here. She'd go and get her from the cafeteria in a minute.

"Oh, I'm sorry – I just assumed when I saw the young lady …"

"Samantha Carter – she's – uh – I'll go get her as soon as I tell the Colonel. He does care for her and I think it will be good to have her here."

The doctor nodded, not really caring what the relationship was, as long as it helped his patient. He left the room to get the nurse and have her prepare everything in case they needed to reinsert a breathing tube.

"Colonel", Janet gently touched his shoulder. "Wake up Sir."

At least this time he didn't resist waking up, although it remained difficult for him. He was so tired that it took all his energy to try and listen to those around him.

"Sir – the doctor is going to remove your breathing tube." Jack's eyes opened wide at that and Janet wondered what he was thinking. "They're going to be monitoring your oxygen levels carefully Colonel – and if they go down they'll have to put it back in. You have to understand that, okay?"

He looked, for a moment, like he either didn't understand or didn't want to acknowledge that but finally he nodded. He wanted the damn thing out now!

"Colonel O'Neill – this is going to be a bit uncomfortable when we remove this – but just try and relax, okay?" Dr. Benjamin was standing beside his bed, all the equipment at the ready in case this failed.

Sam was standing beside the bed, his hand held in hers and Janet was over by the door, watching carefully but keeping out of the way. Daniel had been relegated to the hallway, which he didn't like, but there wasn't enough room for everyone so he'd shrugged and agreed to stand outside.

The Colonel looked tense and clutched Sam's hand as tightly as he could. He knew he wanted to get the tube out of his throat, but he was still feeling confused by everything and was having trouble understanding what people were saying to him.

Since he'd woken up he'd felt only partially here – it was hard to explain. He felt calmer when someone was with him that he knew, but he felt anxious when they spoke and smiled and laughed. Nothing much made sense, although occasionally something got through to him. For the most part he simply nodded and agreed, which seemed to make them happy. But there was something wrong and it frightened him.

Sam – he at least knew her, although he had trouble remembering quite what their relationship was. It bothered him, but for now he was grateful to have her with him. Right now she was his lifeline. As the doctor bent over him, and told him something, it was Sam who guided him – who made him feel safe.

"Jack – he's just going to remove the tube. You're to breathe out when he pulls it, okay?"

He nodded – he was pretty sure he got that. The tube began to move in his throat and his eyes grew round and he frantically searched for Sam.

"Jack – breathe! Come on!"

He remembered then – he breathed out and gagged as the tube left his throat. It hurt – but more than anything it made him want to throw up. He continued to gag for a moment, and had trouble catching his breath. It was the hand rubbing his back that finally calmed him – and he took a slow, shaking breath in.

"That's it", her voice encouraged him. He kept his eyes trained on her and wished that someone would do something about the raw meat that was his throat.

"Here Colonel", another feminine voice spoke to him from the side and his eyes moved over, to see Janet with a spoon. He dutifully opened his mouth and the next moment was relishing the icy cold that was soothing his throat.

"How are his oxygen levels?" Dr. Benjamin asked the nurse quickly.

She was watching the monitor. "They're dropping – 92, 90, 89, 87."

"Damn!" The doctor told her to prepare for re-intubating. "It looks like it's too soon", he told everyone. "I'm sorry Col -"

"Sir – they're going back up", the nurse said calmly. "It's back up to 88, 89, 90", there was a short pause. "It looks like it's stabilizing at 93 %."

Dr. Benjamin looked at Jack carefully. His patient's breathing was improving, although it obviously continued to hurt him. Still, the entreaty in his eyes made him hesitate. "As long as they stay there, we can leave him be. Colonel, it's very important that you stay relaxed and breathe as deeply as you can. I don't want to intubate you again, and I'm sure you don't want that either. Just keep breathing and you should be okay." He turned to the nurse. "Watch him carefully and at the first sign of a drop we'll need to act."

"Yes Doctor", she told him. She gave another look to the monitor. "It's at 94% now."

"Good – good. Okay Colonel, you rest now." He smiled at Janet and Sam. "Hopefully he'll be good after this. I'll check on him in a couple of hours."

"Thank you Doctor", Janet nodded to her colleague and then looked back at Jack. "How are you doing Sir?"

Jack blinked at her and then tried to speak. What came out didn't nearly resemble English and he looked frustrated. He tried again. "Wa –ter?"

"How about some more ice? You need to take it easy so that you don't choke. In a little while I'll get a cup and a straw, okay?'

"Kay", he nodded, opening his mouth like a little bird waiting to be fed. Janet spooned in another ice cube. "I'll go and get Daniel. Sam – you stay with the Colonel. It's good to see you doing better Sir", Janet smiled and headed for the door.

Sam was still holding on to the Colonel's hand and suddenly felt rather embarrassed. She tried to pull away but Jack frowned and tugged on her hand. It wouldn't have taken much to get him to release her – he was still incredibly weak – but she didn't have the heart. He was looking at her with eyes that looked confused and frightened.

"It's okay Sir", she told him softly. "You're getting better. Just do as the doctor says and close your eyes and sleep."

He nodded and allowed his eyes to drift. It felt so much better not to have the tube in his throat any longer, but now there was no excuse for not talking. The problem was – he didn't know if he could actually say anything remotely sensible. There was something wrong with him – and he was frightened.


	7. Frustration

**_A bit of a shorter chapter tonight - sorry - but because you guys are such amazing reviewers I am determined to give you a chapter a night until I'm finished with this story. Thank you!_**

"Hi Jack! How're you feeling today?" Daniel approached his friend's bed and tried to keep his expression from calling out his concern. The bleary face of the injured man turned to him, but there was little other reaction. Daniel could feel his headache grow.

A few seconds passed and then Jack licked his lips and opened his mouth. He attempted to speak, but what came out barely sounded like words. He frowned and shook his head, clearly frustrated and angry and, if Daniel knew him - embarrassed.

"Take it easy", Daniel put his hand on the agitated man's arm. "It's okay. The doctor said you still have a lot of drugs in your system so it might be hard to talk. And remember, you had that ventilator in for a long time – your throat has got to be sore!"

Jack simply looked at him and then closed his eyes and Daniel grew really worried when he saw a lone tear escape and trail down the older man's face. "Jack – it's okay, really!" He sat on the bed beside his friend, while continuing to touch his arm. "Hey, guess what! I just spoke with the nurse – she's kind of cute, did you notice", he bent over and whispered. "Anyway, she said that you're going to be moved out of the ICU and into a regular room. An orderly is coming to get you in a little while. It'll be way better – more room and you won't be bothered every few minutes. Mind you", he mused, "you won't get as much a chance to flirt with the nurses." He hoped that something would get through to the Colonel but so far nothing really had.

When Jack didn't respond Daniel sighed. None of them knew what to do. Since he'd woken up the day before he hadn't said anything except for asking for water. The doctor _had_ said it could be the medication, although the concerned look in his eyes indicated it could be something more serious. It was still too early, he'd told them.

"Until he's stronger, and we've reduced the painkillers, any tests we could do won't tell us the true story", Dr. Benjamin had explained. "The good news is his kidney function is improving and the puncture wound is healing. And he's also very very lucky to have escaped a major infection. It can be a real danger with stab wounds."

So, they'd decided to take what they could get for now and try and be positive. Still, it was hard to see the Colonel like this. He usually bounced back quickly after injuries and they all wondered at how slowly he seemed to be improving.

"It's not that slowly", Janet had tried to say to them. "It was a major injury with extreme blood loss – and the Colonel isn't as young as he used to be. It's not surprising that it's taking him longer to get better. But don't give up hope!"

So, Daniel and Sam and even General Hammond tried to put on an optimistic face any time they visited. If they left – and let their true emotions show – at least Jack didn't see it.

"Here he is Jack", Daniel stood up as the orderly entered, bringing with him a bed. "They're going to move you to the executive suite now!"

That didn't get any reaction either so again Daniel sighed and watched as the orderly wheeled a bed up beside Jack's.

"Hi Colonel O'Neill. I'm going to take you to your new room." He turned and smiled as the ICU nurse walked in and began to sort out all the wires and tubes.

"You'll be glad to know we can get rid of some of these Colonel", she told him as she unhooked some of the monitors. "You're doing so much better that we don't need to have you plugged in to so many machines. I'm afraid some of it will have to stay", she told him as she carefully unhooked the bag from under his bed which led from the catheter. "But Dr. Benjamin says that this can probably go in a day or so. I'm sure you'll be glad to get rid of it." She continued to talk, explaining everything to her patient as she worked. He continued to lie there, with little or no reaction.

Finally he was moved, with the assistance of both the orderly and the nurse, to the new bed and soon was being wheeled down the hallway. Daniel followed with the small bag of things he'd collected from the Colonel's house.

Once Jack was situated in his new room, it took him only a couple of minutes for him to fall asleep. The short trip had exhausted him.

Daniel continued to watch his friend, feeling helpless. He wanted to do something to help – he just didn't know what.

"Daniel Jackson?"

"Teal'c!" Daniel stood up quickly upon hearing the voice of his Jaffa friend. "When did you get back?" He was startled – but incredibly touched – when Teal'c walked over to him and gave him the Jaffa version of a hug. He had to blink rapidly so as not to disgrace himself by letting tears escape.

"I returned just a short while ago", he informed his friend. "General Hammond explained what had happened and I came as soon as I was cleared by Dr. Frasier. How is he?" Teal'c was regarding Jack carefully, a somber look on his face. Daniel would have sworn that the big man had become paler as he looked at the Colonel, although he knew that was pretty impossible.

"Uh – he's getting better – physically", Daniel told him quietly. "He's still -"

"Yes, Dr. Frasier explained. He shall improve, I am sure of it." Teal'c sounded so positive that Daniel could feel himself start to relax.

"God, I hope so. They think it might be the medicine but it's hard to see him like this. He just -"

Teal'c raised his eyebrows, silently asking Daniel to continue.

"He's just – not himself. He's barely spoken and he seems to have trouble even understanding us."

Teal'c nodded, but continued to watch his friend. "Have they found who did this thing to him?"

"No, at least not the last I heard. General Hammond didn't say anything?"

"He did not. He simply informed me that O'Neill had been badly injured due to an attack and was in the hospital."

"Yeah – well I know they're looking, but all I've heard is that there were no clues. Whoever did this might get away with it unless Jack can identify him – or her."

"Has he been asked?"

"No – and I don't think there's any point, not yet. Janet thinks it would be too stressful, even if he could answer."

Teal'c sat for another few moments until finally he focused his eyes on the archaeologist. "I am happy to stay with O'Neill if you wish to return home to rest. I understand that you have remained in the hospital for many days."

"Well – Sam and I have been kind of taking turns. The General and Janet have been here too, but they have responsibilities on base so it's harder for them. I'm totally fine to stay."

"Please Daniel Jackson – you must go and rest. Dr. Frasier is concerned and you look very tired. I do not mind staying. In fact, I look forward to the opportunity to remain with my brother."

It was then that Daniel realized that Teal'c needed to be there. Knowing him, he was feeling guilty for having been away when all this happened and probably needed to spend some 'alone time' with Jack. Upon that realization he stood up – slowly – Teal'c was right, he _was_ tired. "Okay – thanks Teal'c. I'll head home for a while and get some sleep – and probably a shower! Uh – if they come with dinner, try and get him to eat. He refused to have anything for lunch and he's losing weight."

"I shall", he gave a single nod of the head and Daniel suddenly felt sorry for Jack. Teal'c was going to take him in hand.

As he walked down the hallway he let out a huge sigh of relief. Thank God Teal'c was here.

Teal'c felt terrible as he looked down at O'Neill – at the incredibly brave and honorable man who was his friend. He could not imagine what any of them would do if O'Neill _didn't _come back. Not only that, Teal'c knew his friend would hate to live this way. Teal'c swore, there and then, he'd do what he had to to ensure that his friend _didn't_ have to live a half-life.

He'd been there, sitting quietly, for over an hour before the Colonel began to wake up. At first there was nothing more than a slight bit of movement. The next thing he was aware of were O'Neill's eyes beginning to move under his eyelids. Finally those eyelids opened – but the eyes, which looked bleary and out of focus, simply stared at the ceiling.

"O'Neill", he spoke in a soft, melodious voice so as not to startle the Colonel. "How are you my friend?"

Teal'c was surprised – no _shocked_ was the better word – at how long it took O'Neill to respond. He simply blinked a few times, and then tried to track things with his eyes. It was only after several minutes, and another 'O'Neill?" uttered by Teal'c, that he managed to turn, first his eyes, and then his head to the side.

"Hello my friend", he spoke again, reaching out with his hand and putting over O'Neill's. "I am sorry not to have been here for you. How are you feeling?"

It was eerie, Teal'c discovered. Eerie to watch someone as normally vibrant and full of life as the Colonel simply lie there, as if there was very little left of him. He didn't show any reaction to Teal'c's presence, other than the initial movement. Teal'c hated how it made him feel – hated that his friend was – absent.

"They told me that you were injured", he started speaking, not sure what else to do. "I am sorry. You did not deserve this my friend. And do not worry – I will make sure that the one who did this shall pay for his actions."

That finally got a reaction from the Colonel, but not one Teal'c expected. At first his response was little more than a twitch of his forehead. A second later and he began to frown and finally he began to grow agitated. Teal'c wanted to hit himself. Why had he thought it would be a good idea to mention the Colonel's assault?

"I am sorry", he repeated again. "Do not worry about this now. You must concentrate on getting well."

Rather than help relax the Colonel, Teal'c's words seemed to make him increasingly upset. He began to try and vocalize, which made the friend watching over him look even more distressed. It was awful hearing someone try and speak, who could barely get one coherent word out.

"Relax my friend", he attempted to soothe the Colonel. "There is no purpose in getting upset. Everything is fine."

He was actually making whimpering noises when Major Carter walked in. The sounds coming from the Colonel – horrible sounding – caused her to stop dead as she entered. "Oh – Sir!" After a moment of shock she moved quickly over to the other side of the bed from Teal'c and reached out and took Jack's face in her hands and forced him to look at her. "Sir! Jack – come on, look at me. It's okay. You're okay. Please, relax."

It took a few minutes – although it seemed much longer to Teal'c – before the Colonel grew calm. There were tears running down his face, but he was no longer attempting to thrash about wildly.

"That's it Sir." Sam sat back, panting lightly after both the mental and physical strain of trying to calm the Colonel down. "You're doing just fine." She glanced over at Teal'c, the distress on both their faces extremely evident.

"Teal'c – it's good to see you."

"And it is good to see you as well, Major Carter." The alien who had become her friend lifted his head and it was only then that Sam could see how hard he was taking this. "I am sorry – I believe I caused this reaction in O'Neill."

"No – no you didn't. I think – he's just frustrated." She reached out and suddenly drew the big man to her and gave him a big hug. "I'm so glad you're here!"

Teal'c hugged her back, the two of them offering comfort to one another. It was only at a sound from the man in the bed that they let go of each other and returned their attention to him.

"I'm sorry for ignoring you Sir!" Sam gave a half laugh and rubbed the moisture from her cheeks. "Isn't it great to see Teal'c?"

There was a small movement from the Colonel and then suddenly he nodded.

"Oh Jack!" Sam saw it and her voice quavered. She returned to his bedside and took his hand.

"O'Neill?" Teal'c had caught the small movement and his face lit up in a smile. "It is very good to see you my friend", he repeated. He moved back to the other side of the bed and began to softly tell the Colonel about his visit home and about seeing his son.

Jack tried to listen, to understand, but he wanted to speak – desperately. But no matter how hard he tried, nothing would come out but awful noises. He was horribly frustrated and terribly frightened. He couldn't respond, couldn't talk – and even though his mind was slightly clearer than it had been, he still had trouble catching what everyone was saying – and it was driving him insane.

It had been good to see Teal'c though. There was something about his friend that made him feel like things _could_ be okay. He knew that the Jaffa warrior didn't have any special powers – other than supreme confidence in those he called friend.

Maybe that was enough, Jack thought. Maybe he simply had to believe he was going to get better and he'd wake up one morning, back to his old self.

He felt Sam's hand and that of Teal'c both. They were on either side of him, offering him their strength and their hope. It meant the world to him, but he knew it wouldn't be enough – and that eventually they would grow weary of their vigil. They had lives to lead, and spending hours and days – and he was pretty sure it be weeks and months – at his side could not be allowed to happen. He was going to have to walk this journey alone – because he couldn't bear to see his friends pulled down by him.

His eyes began to close – he was so tired of being tired – but with his last waking thought he knew it was going to take more than confidence or belief, or even the presence of his friends to heal him. It was going to take a miracle – and he was pretty sure he'd run out of those.


	8. And Eat it Too!

_**So - sorry I missed posting last night. I confess to watching the series ending of my (current) favorite TV show (sniff, sniff).**_

_**One of my wonderful reviewers asked me whether I was still in Colorado - nope - I'm in Washington DC this week, attending**_**two separate conferences/meetings. I have to give a speech tomorrow, in front of a few hundred people so of course I'm writing about Jack and Sam! Much more fun, I assure you.**

**Oh - I'm not going to write too many chapters for this story - I will finish off my other story soon and I still have one which I've started and that's waiting to get published.**

**And really good news ... I"m home next week and not going ANYWHERE! Yeah - I get to reintroduce myself to my family.**

**And so ... on to the world of Stargate ...**

"Where the hell is he?"

"Probably undercover somewhere. You know he'd come if he could."

"He would – if they've even told him what's happened. Knowing them they've kept it from him for some greater good. God damn it, the Colonel's right – they're a bunch of snake-headed ass-holes!"

"Uh Sam, I don't think that's anatomically possible. And anyway you _do _know your father is one of those – uh – ass-holes now, don't you?"

"Of course I do." She suddenly frowned. "I didn't mean that the way it came out. I know he'd be here if he could – but I expect the damn Tokra haven't told him."

"You're probably right, but I'm sure they'll tell him as soon as they can."

Sam turned quickly and glared at her friend. "How come you're defending them all of a sudden? Have you suddenly become best friends with the Tokra?"

"Of course not, but there's no point in getting mad at them. They are what they are -"

"_Aaaargh!" _she screamed, looking like she wanted to shoot him. "I _know_ that – but they're still ass-holes! And if the Colonel was here he'd agree with me."

"If Jack was here we wouldn't be having this conversation", Daniel answered gently.

That stopped her dead, and she looked at Daniel, her eyes going glassy with unshed tears.

"Oh God Sam, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that." Daniel stuck his hand through his hair. "I'm frustrated too – it's just that it's not going to do any good to shout at the Tokra. For one, they're not here and two, it wouldn't change their minds if they were. I _know_ they're a pain – but sooner or later your father _will_ show up, and then we can ask him to help Jack."

"What if he can't help?" she asked in a small voice. "What if it's too late, or the healing device doesn't work. There's no way he'd accept another symbiote."

"No, and none of us would ask him to. Look – I don't know if the healing device will work or not, but at least it's something and we've got to try. In the meantime, let's concentrate on Jack and not waste time cursing out moronic, egotistical, arrogant bastards of aliens who are only concerned with themselves and only bother contacting us when they want something." Daniel stopped and took a deep breath, practically hyperventilating after his outburst.

Sam stared and then her face slowly broke into a smile. Suddenly she was laughing and Daniel responded with a single raised eyebrow.

"Uh – can I ask what brought this on?" he wanted to know.

"You hate them as much as I do", she choked. "And you can't deny it!"

"Who's denying it", he smirked, pleased that he'd been able to lighten the mood. "Come on – we should go before it gets too late. Teal'c's been there all afternoon and probably needs a break."

That sobered Sam up immediately and she nodded. "I'll get my jacket." As she made her way to her closet she couldn't help the wave of despair that suddenly washed over her. She knew that her anger at the Tokra was partly a defense mechanism. It kept her from getting too depressed over the Colonel's condition.

Janet kept saying that it was early days yet, but even she was starting to not believe her own words. It had been a week now, and Jack was healing rapidly from his wound and from the broken leg. At least he was healing physically. She thought back to the conversation that Janet told her she'd had with the Colonel's doctor.

Dr. Benjamin was going to start testing him the next day – but according to Frasier, he was beginning to think there _had_ been some permanent damage. _How_ permanent he didn't know.

"It's too early to tell", he'd calmly explained to Janet. "What I do know is that the sooner we get him going on therapy the better."

Janet had explained everything to Teal'c, Daniel and her – but it hadn't been news that they'd wanted to hear. And, as far as Sam could tell, Teal'c had simply refused to believe it.

"O'Neill shall get better", the warrior said calmly. "He is strong and will not let this overcome him."

"Uh Teal'c – we all agree that Jack's strong, but there are some things that even someone like him can't overcome. It's not really a matter of will.

"I do not believe that his condition is that serious", Teal'c stated definitively. "Dr. Frasier herself said that he did not suffer a head wound so there is no reason for this to be permanent."

"I didn't say that he received any head wounds", Frasier said gently. "But that doesn't mean he can't suffer some – that it won't affect his brain. Teal'c, the Colonel suffered massive blood loss and that _can_ lead to brain damage."

"I do not believe it", the former Jaffa warrior said. "O'Neill shall be well."

Sam wanted to believe him, wanted to be as confident as he was, but all it took was one look at the Colonel to begin to doubt.

He hadn't spoken since that first word and now would barely acknowledge their presence. He seemed to do nothing more than stare at the wall or the ceiling and she was growing ever more afraid. They all knew what the Colonel could be like. He didn't handle weakness well – it wasn't who he was – and she didn't know whether he could deal with any kind of long-term disability.

Janet said it was depression – common after a major trauma – and that he'd eventually snap out of it. Sam wasn't so sure.

As she walked down the hospital corridor, Daniel silent at her side, she felt a sudden wash of guilt as she realized she didn't want to step foot into that room. She didn't want to see the Colonel like this. It wasn't his physical state that bothered her so much as the fact that he looked like he was giving up already. She hated that and wanted to scream at him – or burst into tears.

"Hi Jack!" Daniel sounded cheerful as they entered O'Neill's room, but she knew he was faking it. He was doing a better job than she was of trying to hold things together, but she was also aware how much of that was a façade. He was feeling it too, and, like her, didn't know what to do.

"How's he doing Teal'c?" Daniel asked when there was no response from the Colonel.

"He is O'Neill", was Teal'c's cryptic reply. "I have been explaining to him that we are all waiting for him to get well and leave this place so that we may return to fighting our enemies."

"Oh – yeah – right. That's right Jack. You need to – uh – anyway – right. So, you must be hungry Teal'c."

"I am not."

"Okay." Silence returned to the room, with everyone standing awkwardly – or in Teal'c's case, sitting and simply staring at them.

Sam took a step towards the Colonel's bed but then stopped. She didn't know what to do or to say. She knew he'd ignore her and she was tired of talking to herself. She felt badly for him, but also felt a tiny spark of anger. Fight damn you Sir! You're not going to get better if you don't fight this.

"Sam and I thought you might want a break so we came to sit with Jack for a while. Is that okay Jack? Do you mind having us here instead of Teal'c?"

Of course that got much the same reaction as had everything over the last couple of days – absolutely none. Daniel was sure Jack had blinked, but that was the only reaction he could see. He sighed. "Go on Teal'c. You've been here for hours and you need to get back to base. We'll stay."

Teal'c nodded his head and stood up. "O'Neill, I shall go now. Stay strong my friend." When Jack – again – didn't answer the big man turned quietly and exited the room. That left Daniel and Sam, still standing anxiously in the middle of the room.

"So Jack." Daniel finally made his way over to the chair just vacated by Teal'c. "How are you feeling today? You're awfully quiet."

Sam snorted – she couldn't help it. She knew it was mainly nerves, but for some reason she wanted to laugh. She figured it was either that or start throwing a tantrum.

She was surprised when the Colonel suddenly turned his head and looked at her. It was the first real reaction he'd had. "Uh – hi Colonel", she said.

He blinked again and then gave a small nod – which surprised her even more. So he _could_ respond if he wanted to. Then why didn't he? "How _are _you feeling?"

That got a slight sneer, although she wasn't sure if it was directed at her for asking, or to indicate how he was feeling. For some reason this made her want to laugh – another nervous reaction. Well, at least he could understand her. "Not feeling well I see. I'm sorry. Is there anything we can do?"

At that he closed his eyes and turned his head away. Alright then – that was pretty obvious. He doesn't want any help. Well screw you Colonel!

Suddenly she felt guilty – again. He was hurt and probably frightened and of course he was acting like this. This was Colonel O'Neill and his first reaction was always to run away and lick his wounds in private. It must be killing him to feel so helpless in front of them.

"I'm hungry", she suddenly announced. "I think I'm going to go get something to eat. Would either of you gentlemen like something? Sir – how about some chocolate cake?"

At least that got him to open his eyes. She was pretty sure she saw a gleam in them – although whether because he wanted cake, or because he knew what she was trying to do, she couldn't tell. "I'll bring you some just in case, okay? How about you Daniel?"

"Uh – I'll have some coffee and – oh a donut or something." He looked at her quizzically, clearly wondering what she was up to.

What _was_ she up to, she asked herself as she walked towards the cafeteria. She knew damn well a piece of cake wasn't going to fix the Colonel. No – but treating him normally might help. They had to stop pussy-footing around him. That would only make him more aware of his disability – which she prayed was temporary.

She returned a few minutes later with a piece of cake and a donut and coffee for Daniel. She wasn't in the least hungry, although she'd bought herself a juice.

"I thought you went to get something to eat?" Daniel asked when she returned. She glared at him and he raised an eyebrow. "Uh -"

"I ate it there", she quickly interjected. "Here Sir, your cake." She pulled out the wheeled table over his bed and placed the cake in front of him. "Shall I raise your bed? It'll be too hard to eat lying down."

"I don't think he -"

"Yes he can", she told her friend. "I asked the nurse and she said it's fine to raise it. I'll do it slowly and you let me know if it hurts, okay Sir?"

Jack glared at her but didn't do anything to try and stop her. She realized briefly that without a voice it would be difficult for him to object. Once he was sitting up slightly she moved the tray closer and held out a fork. "Here you go", she told him. "Dig in or Daniel might eat it."

He didn't reach for the fork, instead he simply continued to glare. She could feel herself start to sweat – she wasn't used to interacting this way with Colonel O'Neill – but at the same time she knew she couldn't _let_ him intimidate her. Being easy on him wasn't going to help.

"Oh, do you want me to feed you?" she asked sweetly. "I'm sure it must be too hard for you to eat it while you're recuperating. Here." She reached over and cut a piece of cake with the fork.

The small sound that came from the Colonel made her want to laugh. How a man could make it that obvious that he was angry, just by breathing through his nose, she didn't know. What she _did_ know is that the next moment her hand was being pushed away. Unfortunately, it was the hand with the fork and the piece of cake flew off and landed square on the Colonel's neck.

"Oops", she said with a grimace. "Let me get that Sir." She grabbed a kleenex and went to pick up the gooey cake when her wrist was again grabbed.

O'Neill made a soft sound – this time he actually vocalized it, although it wasn't really a word – and removed the Kleenex from her hand. He then proceeded to try and get at the cake.

She wanted to help him – not because she pitied him- but because his hand was shaking so badly from still being weak that he was smearing icing all over his neck and upper chest. "Uh – I'll grab a cloth Sir", she finally told him. "I'm afraid there's – icing -" she grimaced again at his glare.

"Here", she knew enough not to try and help him this time so she just handed him the damp cloth she'd retrieved from the small bathroom adjoining his room. "Right – there", she pointed to where the icing was on his neck.

It took him a few moments, but he finally managed to get himself clean. He then glanced down at the cake and this time she _did_ laugh – or giggle. He was looking at the cake as if it had tried to kill him. She was pretty sure that if he'd had a zat he would have murdered the poor thing. When he heard her he raised his eyes, the question obvious.

"Uh – sorry Sir – it's just – you look like you're going to murder the cake. It really wasn't its fault you know. It's a perfectly innocent piece of cake."

Even Daniel snorted at that, although he valued his life enough not to say anything. It didn't matter because Jack's eyes swiveled over to him, narrowing as they contemplated the friend who had betrayed him by laughing.

"Sam's right", Daniel finally got the courage to speak. "It really is innocent – and probably quite delicious."

That caused the Colonel to return his focus to the cake.

Sam noticed a twitch on O'Neill's cheek and abruptly frowned. What had she been thinking – the man had almost died and was still recuperating. Why in hell was she teasing him like this?

There was another movement and Sam looked closely at her Commanding Officer. He was – what? What was he -?" Oh God – he wasn't _crying_ was he? She watched and after a moment Jack lifted his head and began to – laugh!

He laughed so hard that he automatically brought his hand up to his chest. Swiftly realizing that it must hurt, Daniel grabbed an extra pillow from the closet and handed it to his friend. Jack placed it against his chest and continued to laugh.

"Uh – the cake wasn't _that_ funny", Daniel protested, although there was a definite glimmer of laughter in his own eyes.

Sam grew slightly worried as sweat broke out on Jack's face and he began looking a bit pale and winded. As much as they said laughter was good medicine, she was sure it had to hurt. The wound on his chest was still raw and tender – and she didn't want him to break his stitches.

"Here Sir", she handed him a glass of water. "I think you need to calm down before you hurt yourself." This time Jack just nodded and worked to stop laughing. After a few seconds he took a drink and calmed down, although there was still a slight grin on his face.

"So – you want to tell me what all that was about?" Daniel looked at Jack, at the cake and then at Sam.

"I think it was the Colonel's murderous intent Daniel." She was still smiling too. "Sir – _would_ you like a piece of cake?'

This time he nodded and put his hand out. She grabbed the fork from where it had fallen on his bed, wiped it swiftly and handed it to him. "Just be careful or the nurses are going to have to change your sheets."

He nodded and shakily reached over and cut a piece and then took a bite. Instantly his eyes closed and he lay there looking as if he was enjoying the flavor. He managed a couple more bites before putting the fork down. He still didn't really have an appetite, and was beginning to look very tired. It was Daniel who noticed and gave her a look.

She nodded and pushed the table to the side of his bed, moving his water so he could reach it easily. She removed the cake. "I'll throw this away." She wanted to laugh again at his pained look. "Don't worry Sir – the cafeteria has a good supply. I'll bring you another piece when you want some more."

This time he nodded but then allowed his head to drop back and his eyes to begin to close. Daniel regarded his companion and gestured with his head towards the door.

"We'll be going now Sir", Sam said quietly. "You take it easy. We'll be back tomorrow." The Colonel gave a small nod, his eyes completely closed. He was almost out for the night.

"See ya Jack", Daniel told him, also very quietly. "You take care of yourself." This time the Colonel didn't respond and they assumed he was asleep.

It was only after Daniel had left and Sam was at the doorway that she heard a sound. She turned, to see the Colonel's eyes opened slightly, his lips turned up in one corner.

"Th – nks", he whispered.

She smiled. Maybe Teal'c was right after all.


	9. Confession

"We're almost done Colonel", the doctor said with composure. Jack felt a moment of admiration for the man who had been caring for him the last week. He dealt with everything I threw at him with nary a blink.

Jack knew he could be an obnoxious patient, especially when he felt helpless or worried. His way of dealing with those emotions was to lash out at those around him – at least those in a medical setting. It was awful of him, and deep down he felt badly – but he still did it.

He'd spent the morning going through a series of tests. He knew it was for his own good, but he also knew he was terrified of the results. He therefore made every attempt to _not_ cooperate, as if that would ensure he wouldn't get any bad news. Still, the doctor and nursing staff continued to do what they had to do and in the end they got what they needed.

He was exhausted by the end of it and wanted nothing so much as to curl up in a corner and pass out. But no – of course that wasn't going to happen. As swiftly as the doctor and nurses left in came Janet and Daniel. To give her credit, Sam didn't show up. She knew he probably needed some time to recuperate.

"Jack! How'd it go?" Daniel hurried over to the bed. "You look tired. Was it tiring? What did they do?"

"Daniel", Janet said sharply and clicked her way over to the bed right behind the archaeologist. "Don't bother the Colonel with all those questions. He most likely _is_ tired."

Well glory be! Jack wanted to hug the little power-monger – if he'd had the energy. He could feel his eyes droop and looked forward to a long, solitary sleep – when suddenly his wrist was grabbed and good old Doc Frasier was checking his pulse.

He opened one eye – he didn't feel like opening both of them – and glared at her. He needed to _sleep_. He'd just been checked over thoroughly, so why she had to check his damn pulse was beyond him. What? Did she think Dr. Benjamin would leave him if there was something wrong? If he didn't have a pulse he was pretty sure he wouldn't have been left alone – for all of thirty seconds.

"A little fast Colonel", she informed him.

Of _course_ it's fast, he thought. I'm PISSED! He opened the second eye and gave her the benefit of a death glare from _both_ his brown orbs. It didn't work. God – he'd have to talk to Jacob and figure out how to do a good death glare. Even without the Tokra symbiote Jacob could pull it off like no one he'd known. He bet Sam could do it too if she wanted to. He'd have to find out.

"Let me just check your temperature -"

"Nmmph!" he jerked his head away. He wanted to be able to open his mouth and shout at her, but he didn't know if he could and he was too afraid to try and find out.

"Colonel, now don't be childish! I just want to check you out to make sure everything is okay. It won't take a minute."

"Nuh uh!" he muttered and turned his face away. Poor Daniel, who was now standing on the other side of the bed, got the full effect of a thoroughly enraged Jack O'Neill.

"Uh – Doc – I don't think Jack wants to do this right now."

Bingo Danny! He nodded sharply at the genius in front of him. Now just take Frasier and go. Of course Daniel wasn't quite up to mind reading yet – so he continued to just stand there, looking slightly panicked.

There was a heavy sigh behind his back and then 'clickety clack' – the heels of doom walked around the bed until she was gazing down at him with long-suffering eyes. Hey _you_ think you've got to be long suffering, Jack said silently. Try lying here and feeling like you have no power over your own body. People can just come in and touch it, test it, prick it, and poke it. He'd had enough.

"G – w'ay", he managed to get out. Another sigh from the doctor and her hand again moved towards his forehead. Okay, he'd officially had enough. With a strangled yell he reached down and flipped off the blanket covering him and forced himself to sit up. It burned and his vision became a bit wonky, but he persevered. He was going to get away if it killed him.

"_Colonel_! What are you doing?" Janet reached out to stop him but he pulled his arm away. "NO!" There, that came out clearly.

He turned in the bed so that his legs were hanging over the side. It was uncomfortable with the heavy cast on his lower leg, but he didn't care. He was getting out of here!

"You can't walk on that yet!" Janet practically screamed. She raced around the bed and tried to stand in front of him to stop him. He ignored her and dropped to the ground. His good leg, which had to take all his weight, just about collapsed but he managed to hold onto the bed. His hospital gown was gaping in the back and he could feel the cold air hitting him – and he still didn't care.

"Uh Janet – I think you need to -" Daniel was standing, looking as if he didn't know whether to help or to make a break for it. He was leaning towards the latter.

"I need to get him back to bed. Colonel, you can't do this! You're not ready to get out of that bed and I _order_ you to lie down!"

"C-nt!" he glared at her.

For a moment she thought he had sworn at her and looked at him in shock. It was Daniel who clarified.

"I think he said 'can't' Janet."

"Oh." She relaxed slightly. "Sir – you _have _to."

"C-n't –_'rdr me!"_

"Uh he said -"

"I _know_ what he said Daniel – and yes I can. I'm his doctor and he has to listen to me."

"Well, technically you're _not_ his doctor – not here", Daniel pointed out. "Dr. Benjamin is his doctor."

Jack nodded and hopped forward, his leg still feeling like it was going to buckle. He really had no idea where he was going to go, all he knew was he had to get away. He couldn't stand this anymore. He felt like he couldn't breathe and that he was about to panic. He needed people to leave him alone.

"_SIR!_" Janet reached out again at the same time Jack tried to step forward. In trying to avoid her he lost his balance and – eyes wide in shock – he went hurtling forward. Janet screamed, Daniel yelled and …

"What the hell – ooph!" General Hammond suddenly found himself with an armful of Colonel. He would have tumbled to the ground himself if it hadn't been for Teal'c behind him holding on to him.

It took a few minutes to sort out the tangle of arms, legs and IV's – Jack had forgotten that he was still hooked up. Teal'c took care of the swaying, pale and angry officer by simply picking him up and plunking him down on the bed. Janet went to rearrange his covers but the glare from the Colonel stopped her.

It was Sam – standing quietly in the doorway – who finally stepped forward and helped the Colonel straighten his bedclothes. He glanced at her, his eyes narrowed. He was almost positive she was trying not to laugh. It was a good thing she didn't, he decided – he'd make her pay at some future point in time if she had.

Once he was settled and everyone had calmed down, the General again repeated his first words. "What the _hell_ was that about?"

Jack bit his lip and laid back down and closed his eyes. He had the excuse of not having to answer since he still couldn't talk – at least not very well. And he was sick – he could get away with this. He took a quick peek at Doc Frasier, to see her looking rather pale herself. Good! He hoped the General lambasted her.

"Uh Dr. Frasier was trying to examine Jack and he didn't want her to. He got out of bed – I assume to get away – when you came in."

Wow – General Hammond must have been a phenomenal Dad, Jack suddenly realized. He had The Look down to perfection. He suddenly felt like he was about to be grounded and Janet was squirming and sweating. _Good!_ She deserved it.

"Dr. Frasier, care to explain?"

"I just wanted to check to make sure he was okay Sir", she explained, trying to sound calm. "I only wanted to check his temperature and pulse and -"

The General's eyes swung to Jack. "And you didn't want her to do that?"

Jack shook his head, his lips pressed tightly together. He suddenly wanted to explain and unlike a moment ago, hated the fact that he couldn't talk.

Hammond sighed and looked again towards Daniel. "Do you have any idea why the Colonel was so adamant in not getting checked over?"

Daniel looked at his friend, and gave him a small smile. "I expect it was because he had just finished a morning of tests with Dr. Benjamin. We all know how much Jack likes medical tests – so I expect he'd had enough."

"Is this true?" Hammond regarded Dr. Frasier, who shuffled her feet nervously. "I mean about the tests?"

"I – yes, I guess so – but I'm his physician and -"

"Are there not charts that detail how O'Neill is doing?" Teal'c said gently.

You go for it Teal'c! Jack wanted to cheer his friend on but instead grinned at him. He wondered briefly if the Jaffa knew that his next physical was going to entail _really_ big needles. He also wondered if Teal'c had ever been subjected to an Infirmary enema. You're probably going to experience one soon big guy, he thought. Big. Brave. Teal'c. He loved the guy.

"Yes, of course there are charts Teal'c." Janet shot daggers at the alien.

Oooh – I was right! Teal'c you are in _such_ deep -"

"Then I suggest you look at them next time Doctor before insisting on examining someone." When Jack snorted the General turned his evil, beady little eyes on him. "As for _you_ Colonel – use some common sense before trying to get away on a broken leg and a major chest wound. You could have killed yourself!"

Jack looked down and nodded, knowing he'd been a bit of a fool. Still, he'd felt like he had no choice – the claustrophobia driving him insane.

"I think Colonel O'Neill needs to rest", Sam suddenly broke into the ever more tense atmosphere. "He's looking extremely tired and after his tests and the –uh – short walk, he probably needs to sleep."

Bless you Major Carter, her commanding officer thought. But _you_ can stay. In fact, why don't you stay and hold my hand and caress my fevered brow? It was only Daniel's eyebrows, practically at ceiling height, and Sam's flushed cheeks that made him realize he must have been looking at her with a besotted expression on his face.

Hey – he could claim he was on drugs. That, and the fact that she'd saved him – many times – would certainly make it appropriate for him to look at her – however he was looking at her. On that thought his eyes again began to drift closed and he grew less and less aware of the people around him. Soon he was sound asleep.

The General gestured with his head for his people to leave the room quietly. He watched his second for a few seconds, a frown appearing on his face. He _did_ look tired – tired and way too pale. The man wasn't out of the woods yet and needed peace and quiet – _not_ the shameful display he'd seen when he'd walked in.

"Okay", he turned to them all once they'd reached the deserted patients lounge at the end of the hall. "I do not _ever_ want to see something like that again. Colonel O'Neill is still a sick man, and to cause him to try and flee his room is unacceptable."

Janet closed her eyes and nodded. "Sorry Sir – I'm just – worried about him."

"I understand", he said more gently. "But there are other ways to let him know that. You all know how much he hates feeling helpless. We need to be there for him while not hovering over him or making him feel even more helpless. Do you have confidence in his doctor?" Hammond had turned to Janet and quickly asked her opinion.

"Dr. Benjamin? Yes – he's an excellent doctor."

"Good – then while he's here Janet, Colonel O'Neill is your friend, _not_ your patient. He's getting good care and doesn't need more medical people checking on him. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes Sir."

"Good – now I want all of you to go home and get some rest. Teal'c is going to stay and will be there when the Colonel wakes up. I know we've all been worried, but he's out of immediate danger and right now he needs some time and space to heal. He can't get that if we're all hovering over him."

When Jack woke up he was feeling groggy and out of sorts. Once he'd fully woken up he also realized he was sore. Why the hell was he – oh, the spectacular fall onto General Hammond. Talk about embarrassing. Thank God they had been there though and had been there to catch him. He didn't know what would have happened if he'd fallen to the floor.

He cautiously opened his eyes and allowed them to wander around the room. The only one here was Teal'c, who happened to be reading a book. It still threw him when he'd catch his alien friend engaging in such human behavior. He didn't think he'd ever seen a Jaffa reading anything other than instruments on a ship's panel.

"T", he said softly, but it was enough to cause his friend to lift his head and look at him.

"O'Neill." He set the book down and walked slowly over to the bed. "How are you my friend?"

He shrugged, which was about all he wanted to do. He was pretty sure Teal'c understood. He raised his eyebrow and Teal'c answered his unspoken question.

"General Hammond made them return to their homes for rest. Everyone is very tired. We have been worried about you."

Jack groaned and let his head drop back onto his pillow. "S- ry" he hissed out, hoping his friend would get what he was trying to say.

"I know my friend, and Dr. Frasier knows as well. She was worried about you and that takes the form of her – what do you call it? Fussing."

Jack laughed. Yeah, that was exactly it. He really should be flattered that the Doc cared so much. He just wish she do it more like Sam and just bring him cake.

"We all are worried O'Neill. You must cooperate with the doctors if you are to get well. They only have your best interests at heart."

He nodded, knowing that he had to stop – doing what he usually did. He didn't know what was wrong with him, but he knew he couldn't stand living like this. He'd have to try.

His mind was starting to feel clearer, which was a relief, although he still had trouble concentrating for more than a few minutes. And of course he was tired all the time. The doctor had explained that that was normal and would improve over time.

Finally there was the speech – or in his case the lack of it. No one seemed to quite know why he was having problems. Doc Benjamin hypothesized that the blood loss might have caused something like a minor stroke which affected the part of brain related to speech. He had told Jack that with therapy, he should be able to get full use of his voice back. He hoped so, because he wouldn't be himself without the ability to speak.

Even now he was so frustrated he wanted to throw something. He closed his eyes and tried to breathe, to calm down. It was only when he heard footsteps approach the bed that he remembered poor Teal'c and opened his eyes.

To find the big guy handing him something. He looked down in confusion and then gave a short laugh. A pad of paper and a pen – of course! It would make things easier.

He grabbed both of them and quickly wrote a note and handed it back to his friend. It simply said:

Food?

"Of course O'Neill. Shall I bring you cake?"

Jack considered a moment and then put out his hand for the tablet. He wrote one more thing and handed it back.

Pie? Blueberry – and coffee.

As he watched Teal'c leave the room, on the quest for food, he couldn't help but think how lucky he was to have friends like these. He let out a huff of breath. I'll have to start treating them better, he said to himself, starting with Janet.

Over the course of the next week he worked hard to try and get back his voice. Well, it wasn't actually the voice that was the problem. He could make sounds just fine – there was nothing wrong with his voice box. It was definitely his brain that didn't want to work properly.

He could get out a few simple words, although even that took time and a lot of concentration – and even then he sometimes got it wrong. He'd actually asked Daniel to get him a cow from the cafeteria. He had no idea where the word had come from and even though everyone had laughed, thinking it was intentional, inside he'd been worried. He certainly hadn't meant to say that but it had come out of his mouth very definitively.

When he was alone he tried to speak as much as he could, hoping that being alone would release any tension and make it easier. It didn't help. He was no better when alone then with the therapist. The words just wouldn't come.

His leg was improving and they'd put a walking cast on him and he was now able to get around. He still felt weak, although was improving every day. It frustrated him how long it was taking to get over the stab wound, but again, the doctor said that was normal.

"You lost a lot of blood Colonel and it takes the body time to replace it fully. You're still somewhat anemic and that will make you tired. Don't let it worry you – you will get better."

At least he had that to look forward to, he thought. Soon he'd be able to go home and then he was sure things would get better.

"Hey Jack, I brought you a present." Daniel practically bounced into the room, looking more cheerful than he had since before the accident. Jack was glad and knew that a big part of that was because of him. He'd forced himself to not appear so depressed – and to let his team fuss over him a bit. He realized – or actually the General made him realize – that they needed to do that.

"Jack – they almost lost you and it terrified them. Just let them look after you. It makes them feel better – they want to help you. And it's not going to kill you to let them!"

He'd groaned but then he'd agreed, knowing the General was right. So – he took their fussing and fretting, mollycoddling and mothering and accepted it. His team were thrilled.

His mind – traitor that it was – then switched to that moment, a few days ago, when he'd been asked to identify his attacker. He cringed even now, thinking about it, and knew that he would probably never live this down. He wished he could stop remembering the embarrassment.

The General had entered, followed closely by Janet. Teal'c, Sam and Daniel were already in his room – reading, working and playing chess with him in that order. His eyes were getting heavy and he had been just about to suggest to Daniel that they postpone the game. He still couldn't stay awake for more than 30 to 40 minutes at a time.

This was the first time Janet had been back since his – tantrum – and she was looking rather sheepish. Jack had to admit that he felt pretty badly himself. So – he decided he needed to ease the way. He still couldn't say anything, but when he saw her he gave her a big smile and a thumbs up.

She'd immediately relaxed and smiled back. "Hi Sir – you're looking better. No, no", she cried at his look, "I'm not here to examine you. That was simply the honest comment from a friend." She then deposited the bag she'd been carrying on his table. "I brought you some walnut chocolate chip cookies", she told him. "Cassie and I baked them last night."

The grin grew wider and he instantly grabbed the bag and started digging. After eating one of them in practically a single bite, he finally looked up to see his team laughing at him. He frowned and then shrugged. So what – he loved cookies.

"Good to see you looking better Jack", the General had commented. "I'm afraid I needed to come back to ask you a couple of questions about what happened. The SF's are getting on me as are the police."

Jack frowned and looked rather confused. Why was everyone so concerned about what had happened? It had been an accident – a gruesome one – but just an accident. He shrugged and nodded, although he really didn't want to have to confess his own stupidity. It was going to be very humiliating.

"Major Carter, would you take notes?" Hammond asked.

Sam immediately nodded and created a blank word document on her laptop. "Is this okay Sir?" she asked.

"Hmm? Oh yes, that's great Major, thank you. So Jack – I know you probably don't want to think about this, but we do need to get some leads."

Jack looked back and forth between his friends. What the hell was the General talking about? "Huh?"

Hammond sighed. "Did you know your attacker, Jack?" he finally asked.

Attacker? What was Hammond talking about?

"We're trying to determine who did this", his CO told him, patiently. "Anything you can tell us about what happened will help."

Oh God! His head landed hard on his pillow and he closed his eyes. They thought he'd been _attacked_! They'd probably had the police and security checking out his house and looking all over creation for some homicidal maniac – or worse – maybe they thought it was someone involved in the program.

Crap! This made it even worse. He'd had no idea that they didn't know what had happened and he really didn't want to confess to it now. He could always just pretend that he hadn't seen anyone. Oh yeah, that will fly – with a stab wound to the chest he would have to have been blind or drunk not to have seen his attacker – if there had been one. Any anyway, there really wasn't any way he could lie to his friends.

"Jack?" Hammond's voice brought him back to the present and the realization that things really sucked. He opened his eyes and sighed. He then gestured with his hand for the pad and paper, which Daniel gave him.

He shook his head slightly and began to write. After a very few moments he stopped and handed the tablet to the General – and again laid back with closed eyes.

"What?" General Hammond read the paper and then looked up, confusion written all over his face. "Jack, what does this mean?"

The Colonel made a frustrated noise in his throat and forced himself to sit up straighter and to look the General in the eye. He gestured to the paper and nodded.

"What is it Sir?" Janet was looking back and forth between the two men, her curiosity piqued.

Hammond looked at the others in the room, his face now showing surprise. "It says, '_No attacker. I was a klutz."_

Daniel and Sam were wearing identical frowns, Janet opened her mouth as if to ask a question and then froze, and Teal'c raised an eyebrow. It took all of them a few seconds before they began to speak at once.

"No attacker – but how could that be?"

"What do you mean you were a klutz Jack?"

"That doesn't make sense Sir."

"I do not understand O'Neill."

Jack sighed and asked silently for the pad of paper. The General handed it to him and he again spent a few seconds writing. This time he handed it back to Daniel.

"What does it say?" Janet asked.

"Uh – it says – _There was no attacker. I was spring cleaning and tripped and landed on the knife. My own stupidity – NO ATTACKER_!"

"Oh my God Jack", Daniel was staring at him with huge eyes. "You mean to tell me – this was an _accident_?"

Jack sighed and nodded. He checked out the faces of his friends – to see identical expressions of shock and disbelief. He knew what was coming so he took a deep breath and waited.

It was actually Janet who started, which surprised him a little. She was swiftly followed by Daniel, and then even by General Hammond (although to be fair to him he simply smiled and didn't engage in the hysterics of the other two). Sam – well she got a slight grin, but then simply walked over to the bed and touched his arm.

"I'm sorry Sir. That must have been horribly frightening."

She was the only one of the bunch who seemed to realize that getting stabbed in the chest, even if you did it to yourself, wasn't in the slightest funny. It had been horrible – he'd thought he was going to die. He looked at her gratefully, again realizing how much this woman meant to him.

Now his other friends … well, they were going to get theirs one day soon. He groaned when he thought about the fact that this would swiftly make the rounds of the base. Hell, it would probably make the rounds of the entire Air Force within a couple of days. He was doomed.

"Okay – enough everyone", General Hammond said seriously. "I don't think the Colonel found it all that funny. It was a horrible accident and he almost died."

The others instantly stopped laughing only then seeming to realize that Jack hadn't joined in. In fact, he was looking both tired and somber.

"Hey Jack – we're not laughing that you got hurt", Daniel explained quickly, sounding guilty about his momentary hilarity. "It was just that we've been trying to figure out who could have done this – we've had lots of theories – and I think it was just a shock to realize that _you_ were our culprit all along."

"I'm sorry Colonel", Janet said sincerely. "I shouldn't have laughed. I _know_ how hard this has been on you."

"I too regret my reaction O'Neill."

Jack waved his arm. He really wasn't that upset – he was mostly ready to collapse from fatigue. "S- kay",he murmured, his eyes beginning to droop.

"I think we should all promise not to tell anyone what happened", Sam suddenly spoke. "I'm sure the Colonel would prefer not to have it known all over what happened."

"But we'll have to say _something_ Sam. We can't let everyone think there was an attacker who could still be out there."

"I'm afraid he's right Major", the General agreed. "But we don't need to give out any details. All I'll say is that it was a tragic accident, and leave it at that. Are you okay with that Colonel?"

Everyone turned to look at Jack, to see how he'd react. It was only then that they all realized the Colonel was sound asleep.


	10. Not Again!

The Doc told him they were going to release him tomorrow. There was really no reason to keep him longer, he said, other than the fact that they couldn't figure out why he was still so tired, or why he couldn't speak.

They'd done so many tests on him that he felt like a human pincushion. His blood had been tested, his brain had been scanned and he'd been looked at from every angle and – nothing. He was a walking mystery, as far as the medical profession was concerned, although in the end they all agreed that his brain had been damaged by lack of blood and that it would eventually get better – or not.

He had immediately wanted to throw something, preferably the doctors, but he'd restrained himself. He'd made a promise, even if a silent one, to be good – at least while still in the hospital. If he wanted to go home and throw a tantrum well, he'd damn well do it.

He was actually more depressed than angry and acting out was just too much effort. The exhaustion that he still felt also made it more difficult to be pissy with people. For the most part he slept and tried to ignore the fact that his career and probably his life was pretty much finished.

On that lovely note he decided to have another nap, a small part of his mind wondering if this was all he had to look forward to. He was out in seconds.

"Hey J -" Daniel stopped himself as soon as he saw that his friend was sound asleep. He then let out a deep and very worried sigh and pulled up a chair. It felt like Jack did nothing but sleep these days. He knew the doctors couldn't figure it out and that Janet and all of them were concerned. There was something very wrong but no one knew what it could be.

He sat there watching his friend for a long time, the silence not doing anything to soothe his anxiety. Even the steady breathing, the good color, the signs of returning health in the other man didn't alleviate the unease he felt as he watched him sleep.

Without warning Daniel noticed that his sleeping friend's lips had begin to move. Jack appeared to be trying to talk in his sleep, even though no sounds were coming out. God - even in his sleep he couldn't talk.

"Pl – aduv – me", the other man unexpectedly muttered, putting the lie to Daniel's thought about his inability to vocalize.

Still, it wasn't really any better because now he was just speaking gibberish. It was rather bizarre, Daniel thought, that he could make sounds and speak nonsense words, but couldn't manage more than simple English words.

"Adu – may."

Daniel frowned. What the hell was he saying? Adu? The 'may' sounded almost like the Spanish or Italian word for 'me'. He snorted softly – yeah, as if Jack would be speaking either of those. As far as he knew, the only languages Jack spoke were English and a little Russian. And then there was the little bit of Ancient he probably retained from the time - ! He froze.

"Oh my God!" he whispered. "_Ancient_." He moved his chair closer and observed the sleeping man carefully – the man who continued to mutter a number of words.

"Hab – exire."

"Hab?" Daniel thought. Could it be Hab- _eo? Habeo _exire? What the hell are you saying Jack? Habeo exire means – let's see – it means _I have to go_." Daniel frowned and continued, speaking softly to himself. "And before he was saying something like Adu – aduv – aduv may. What – damn it! Aduve me – _help me!_" He sat watching to see if he could decipher anything else, but by this time Jack's lips were moving but no sounds were emanating from his mouth.

What the hell does this _mean_? Daniel was now even more worried than he'd been before. Had the accident somehow rebooted the Ancient download? But Thor had said he'd taken care of it. He had said it was gone. Why then was Jack speaking Ancient?

It had to merely be words and phrases he'd learned during the time loop. That was it – it couldn't actually be the download. For one thing, Jack continued to understand them when they spoke and that wasn't what had happened before. He'd slowly lost the ability to both speak _and_ understand. No – it was just things he was remembering, that's all.

"Quod hic agis Daniel?"

It took him a few minutes to realize that Jack was awake and had spoken to him – in _Ancient_. This was bad, very bad. He groaned. "Jack?"

"Sic?"

"Okay – I'm assuming you meant to say 'yes', right?"

Jack cocked his head to the side and gave Daniel a strange look. "Huh?"

"You do realize you were speaking Ancient, don't you?"

The Colonel's face went instantly blank – although Daniel could see the stark denial in his eyes. "No!"

"I'm sorry Jack, but you were. You were even talking in your sleep in Ancient. Uh", he grimaced slightly. "Can you understand me?"

Jack licked his lips nervously and then nodded. He could understand Daniel right now, but suddenly he thought back to the times, over the last few days, when he'd felt like he'd blanked out and missed what people were saying. He'd told himself it was just that he was tired – or that people were talking too softly. But now – now he wondered if, in fact, he was beginning to lose the ability to communicate in English.

Crap – don't tell him that that whole thing was starting up again! He let out a strangled groan – he did _not_ want to go Ancient.

He lifted his eyes to the concerned face of his friend, his eyes asking a question he knew the other man couldn't really answer. What the hell were they going to do?

Daniel pulled the chair right up to Jack's bed. "We'll figure this out, don't worry. I expect it's just your brain trying to pull out a bunch of stuff as it heals – and right now it's probably thinking back to the time loop. That was a pretty intensive few months for you and Teal'c, and it was all about learning a new language. Maybe your mind equates equates its need to heal with learning a new language".

Jack gave him a skeptical look, although It sounded as plausible as anything else. But then there was the fact that he was having trouble understanding English – although thankfully not all the time. He motioned for the paper and pen and started scribbling madly.

"_Sometimes I can't understand", _he wrote. "_Maybe going Ancient_?"

"No – I doubt it Jack", Daniel answered, although he didn't sound 100 percent sure. "I mean – the download was wiped from your mind so there's no way it would be affecting you, not now. Tell me, is your understanding getting worse or is it – sporadic?"

Jack thought for a moment and then wrote on the pad. "Sporadic. I can understand you now."

"See, that's good. So I bet this has something to do with the accident. It'll probably go away after a while.

Jack hoped so, but if that was the case, why wasn't his language improving as his health improved? Why couldn't he talk for God's sake? All he could manage were grunts and a few simple words. It was frustrating as hell.

"I'll ask General Hammond to see if he can get in touch with Thor and have him come and check you out, just to make sure. Oh – and I meant to tell you – we just heard back from the Tokra."

Jack perked up at that – not because he had any love for the bastards, but because he was hoping that Jacob would come bearing gifts – or one gift, at least - a healing device. Normally he hated alien technology (at least the technology that was used on him) but in this case he really wanted to get better and get on his feet.

"Unfortunately Jacob's busy so they're going to send someone else."

Jack looked at him suspiciously and when Daniel grinned he let his head fall on the pillow. "No!" This time he managed to actually croak out a word, although that was pretty much because of desperation.

"Yes, I'm afraid Anise/Freya is going to come and use the healing device on you. Come on Jack", the archaeologist and traitor said, laughing, "you've got to admit that she's one fine looking Tokra!"

The Colonel rolled his eyes. He had no interest in the woman – women – whatever. In fact as far as he was concerned she could take her big – her attributes and stay away from him. Still, if she brought the healing device he'd be grateful.

The next day Daniel and Teal'c came together to collect him and take him home. He was rather disappointed that Sam hadn't come, until the guys told him she'd gone to his house to get it ready for him and she'd be there waiting for them.

Cheered by that thought, he was able to deal with the final tests and advice from Dr. Benjamin. He had to continue his therapy – as useless as it appeared to be – and was given a whole list of do's and don't's. Finally he was given an appointment to come back to see the doctor in a week. With a final nod and a handshake – to signify his honest thanks – Jack turned and headed home.

The moment the sunlight hit his face he could feel himself relax. He hated hospitals and there was nothing he wanted more than to collapse on his own bed, in his own house, and have Sam and the guys there with him.

He laughed, which caused Daniel to glance over at him, but he simply shrugged and shook his head. Sometimes not being able to speak was a blessing.

"Daniel Jackson informed us that you are now speaking in Ancient O'Neill." Ah Teal'c – always one for subtlety.

"Mmm hmm", he nodded. He actually didn't know if he _was_ speaking Ancient, at least beyond a few words. It seemed to him he didn't have much more luck with Ancient than he did with English right now. Hey, maybe that was it. He'd grown so frustrated with being unable to speak English that his brain had decided to try something new. Once that didn't work out he'd switch back to – hell, what if he suddenly started speaking Russian? Crap – this could be bad.

As it was, he was going to refuse to open his mouth to try and speak, at least until he was sure he was better. He was somehow convinced that if he didn't talk, he wouldn't turn Ancient.

"Have you said anything else Jack?" Daniel instantly got to the issue, like he always seemed to do.

He shook his head. He was _not_ going to open his mouth. And anyway, how the hell would he know? He couldn't tell when he was speaking Ancient, English or nonsense – it was all the same to him when he spoke.

"Come on Jack – say something."

He shook his head, refusing to even open his mouth in case something sneaked out.

"Daniel Jackson, you must stop bothering O'Neill. He will speak when he wishes and not before."

There ya go Teal'c! Jack kept his lips pressed tightly together but smiled at the big guy. Just then they pulled into his driveway – he had rarely been so happy to see his house.

He walked in using the crutches, followed closely by Daniel and Teal'c. He opened the front door, anxious to get in and lie down. He was ready for another nap even though …

"Sir!"

He practically jumped out of his skin when Sam's face appeared in the doorway. He cursed silently. What the hell was wrong with him that he was so jumpy?

He breathed deeply and then smiled, instantly wiping away her guilty look. After a pause she seemed to realize she was in his way and gave a self-conscious laugh.

"Sorry", she muttered, stepping back. "Come in."

His eyebrow went up at her inviting him into his own house, which naturally added to her embarrassment. He had a terrible urge to laugh.

"Sorry", she repeated. "I mean – I'll just get out of your way. Welcome home Sir."

He nodded and slowly limped his way into his hallway. He stood for a few seconds and then decided he really wanted to take a nap. He debated whether to try for the couch or his bed. But suddenly, the thought of that soft mattress was too appealing. He turned as quickly as he could with crutches and hobbled his way up the few stairs to his bedroom. At the top he turned around and looked down at his three friends, frowning and not quite sure what to do.

"It's okay Jack", Daniel finally spoke. "We'll just make ourselves at home. Have a nap and we'll fix something for dinner."

Jack nodded gratefully and made his way into his bedroom. In a matter of minutes he was sound asleep.

* * *

"What are we going to do?" Daniel ran his hands through his hair as he looked out the window into Jack's back yard. He turned and faced his two companions, both of whom were sitting with a drink in their hands.

"We wait for Anise", Sam said calmly. "Hopefully the healing device will heal him."

"Maybe but I think this may be a Thor job."

"A Thor job?" she asked, her brows raised.

"Yeah – cause I'm sure this has something to do with the Ancients."

"God – I hope not."

* * *

Jack took in a deep breath and relaxed. He knew he was home – it smelled right – and felt right – and he could feel himself start to relax for the first time since he'd landed in hospital. Surely he'd get better being home.

He slowly opened his eyes, feeling hungry as he remembered Daniel's promise that they'd make dinner. With another breath he turned to kick his legs over the side of the –

"_Aaargh!" _he let out a short scream. What the hell? Two eyes were peering at him – two eyes attached to a voluptuous and scantily clad woman. Anise/Freya! Damn – so much for relaxing.

"Colonel O'Neill", the Tokra woman said formally. "We have been waiting for you to awaken."

He scowled at her and continued to move until he was sitting up. He was just grateful that he hadn't stripped naked before going to bed. He'd been too tired and had simply fallen in after only removing his shoes.

"I am here to attempt to use the healing device. Daniel Jackson and Samantha Carter told me to come and see if you were awake."

He rolled his eyes. He was going to have to punish those two! He just hoped his friends had explained –

"I understand you cannot speak. However, if you will lie back down I will use the device."

Well, she certainly got to the point! It was clearly Anise talking. Too bad – he preferred Freya. Although he stopped that thought when he remembered that _Freya_ preferred _him_. Nope – didn't want that or need it.

With a mild sigh of exasperation he managed to turn himself until he was again lying flat. He regarded her suspiciously, wishing that one of his friends was here.

"Hey Jack?"

Speak of the devil. He smiled at Daniel and waved him over. He felt better knowing a team member would be with him.

"I thought you might want one of us to stay with you?"

He nodded vigorously, not concerned whether he was offending the Tokra woman or not. He frowned briefly. He wondered if it was _possible_ to offend her – them. Damn it, he hated dealing with the Tokra.

"Okay. I'll just – uh – stand over here then. Let me know if there's anything you need."

Jack nodded although he wasn't sure if Daniel was speaking to him or to Anise/Freya. In the end it didn't matter because all he had to do was lie there while the Tokra passed the healing device over him.

He sighed and closed his eyes, sure that Daniel would watch out for him. He was just so tired …

"Is he sleeping?" Daniel asked in surprise, stepping closer to the bed.

"I believe so. Please Dr. Jackson, do not speak. I must concentrate if I am to do this."

He nodded and stepped back again, although he kept his eyes on Jack. Soon Freya had picked up the healing device and closed her eyes. It took few short seconds, but soon she had it working and she began to pass it over the Colonel.

By the end of the session – almost fifteen minutes later – Freya stopped, clearly exhausted.

"Did it work?"

She lifted her eyes. "I was able to heal his leg", she told him, "and a few other minor things. I do not think I was able to do more."

"You don't _think_?"

Freya turned her eyes on him – and this time it was she who spoke. "I am sorry Dr. Jackson – it is not an exact science. As Anise has said, we were able to do something, but whether we were able to cure him it is hard to say. There was something -"

"Something?" Daniel asked softly when she stopped. "What do you mean?"

"I mean – his mind – there is something that is either protecting it or keeping us out. It felt as if there was some – power – pushing back. We have never experienced it before and I do not know what effect the healing device will have had."

"Damn", Daniel spoke softly but fiercely. "Well, at least we can get the cast off so he can get around. What about the tiredness? Any idea about that?"

She shook her head. "No. Again, I believe it might be related to something in his mind, but I cannot discover what. I am sorry Dr. Jackson – I wished I could have been of more help."

"No, no – we thank you for coming and trying. It's not your fault – not at all."

She smiled at him – and he wasn't quite sure who was in charge, until the Tokra turned to Jack. It's Freya, he realized then. He could tell from her face that she was clearly smitten with the Colonel. "Uh, would you like something to eat?"

"That would be excellent, thank you", she replied formally. Anise was back.

"Uh Jack?" Daniel approached the bed. "Jack – time to wake up?"

Jack opened his eyes and immediately knew. "Stercus!", he swore. His head felt like it was going to explode – and he knew he was going Ancient – again.


	11. Going Ancient

_**No excuses - just RL. I'm so sorry for leaving you all hanging and thank you for the lovely comments and nudges from a few of you. I promise to finish all my stories - I just find it hard to make time with everything in my life right now. I'll be updating my other stories in the next couple of days. Thanks for your patience.**_

"She said your leg is healed Jack. You can probably take the brace off now." Daniel was looking down at his friend, trying to hide his concern but, being Daniel, wasn't doing a great job at it.

Jack nodded but continued to stare at the ceiling. He'd counted on the healing device working although he should have known better. Murphy's law reigned supreme again. The good news was he felt better physically. The bad? Well, his brain felt weird, if fact it felt weirder than before the healing device. It was almost as if the damn thing had activated something – or maybe caused whatever was in his head to kick into high gear. At this moment his brain felt like it didn't quite fit in his skull; an unpleasant feeling to say the least. He frowned – what if it _was_ swelling? What if it exploded? It would be like something out of a horror movie, with brains all over his living room. No, he laughed suddenly. He had to stop his imagination from getting away from him. And he had to figure out what the hell was going on. For that he needed Jackson and Thor and – Carter! Hell, he'd always needed Carter and now more than ever. He sat for a few seconds thinking about – his Second. He laughed again.

"Jack?"

He started and turned to face his friend, finally brought out of his thoughts by the sound of the other man's voice. He glanced at Daniel and sighed - and then pushed himself up. He did a quick knee bend – at least as much of a one as he could with the brace still on. Well, at least his leg was better – and the rest of him felt good too – stronger than since his accident. With another deep breath he leaned over and began to release the Velcro straps that secured the brace. Once it was off he tossed it over to the side of his room and then looked up at Daniel, a wry grin across his face.

"Eamus", he held out his hand, indicating that it was time to leave his bedroom.

Daniel grimaced but nodded and wished to hell he knew what to do.

He threw the bottle across the room and watched as it smashed against the wall, dripping beer and foam down the surface and onto his floor. Well, wasn't _that_ a mature thing to do, he asked himself? Yup, he was going insane and if he wasn't careful they'd soon take him away in a strait-jacket and place him in a padded room like the one in which they'd kept Daniel.

Sighing, he went and collected a broom and dustpan as well as some rags and spent the next twenty minutes cleaning up the mess. He had to get out of the house and _do_ something. He'd been back over a week and was bored out of his mind. Of course, along with boredom was the fear that he would be stuck like this for the rest of his life. _That_ he tried to ignore, but the thoughts kept creeping up on him, especially when he was alone

No matter what he tried, he couldn't seem to speak English. And he had lost the ability to tell whether he was _thinking_ in English or whether everything was now in Ancient. Surprisingly, he could usually understand what people were saying although there was still the odd time when he couldn't – and that was just plain weird. Even Daniel didn't have a theory for that.

Of course, all this made it extremely difficult for him to go anywhere. He could pretend that he was a foreigner who didn't speak English, although he quickly grew frustrated at not being able to interact with people and had to have Daniel or Sam accompany him. It had been too humiliating and he'd instead stayed home.

He had tried to spend some time outside rather than stay stuck in his house but that ended up being even worse. His neighbor had come over to speak with him and he'd had to pretend to have laryngitis. He figured Barry had believed it, but that would only work for a few days. After that episode he'd stayed inside.

Nope – he couldn't do this anymore. With a frustrated groan he threw down the cleaning cloth and strode to the front door. Grabbing his keys he quickly made his escape.

* * *

"Colonel." Captain Jamison nodded as he passed the man in the hallway. He grunted in return, not knowing, and right now not particularly caring, if everyone knew of his – difficulty – or not.

"Colonel O'Neill?" The general looked up from his paper work, startled to see his senior officer standing in his doorway. "I didn't know you were here today. Come in, come in."

Jack nodded and strode through the doorway until he was in front of his superior's desk. He suddenly seemed to realize that this was rather a stupid move on his part. It's not like he could actually _speak _with Hammond.

He made a small sound of irritation, causing the general to give a sympathetic smile.

"Sit down Jack", Hammond indicated the chair. "Still not speaking?"

Jack shook his head, looking even more frustrated. He held up his hand and rolled his eyes, trying to demonstrate how he was feeling. He figured he didn't really have to do that however – he was pretty sure George had at least an inkling of how - angry and frustrated he was.

"We still haven't heard from Thor", Hammond told him, assuming correctly that he'd want to know. "We are continuing to send messages and I'm sure we'll hear something soon."

Jack nodded and gave a small smile, even though he didn't feel in the least bit happy. Okay. Now what? He looked at the general rather helplessly, not knowing what else to do.

"How are you doing Jack?" Hammond frowned, looking and sounding concerned.

Jack shrugged. How should he be doing?

The general sighed and pushed his chair back. "Look son – I know this is difficult, but I'm afraid there's nothing we can do until Thor gets here. I know that Major Carter and Dr. Frasier are looking into everything possible. Just try and be patient."

He scowled but nodded. There was really nothing else he _could_ do. With a sigh he stood up. There was no point in staying any longer since he couldn't say anything the general would understand. Hammond was right. He just had to be patient.

"Don't worry Colonel – we'll find a solution to this."

"Gratias general", Jack said, a slight twist to his lips. He then stood straight and saluted – unnecessary he knew, but it was a way to say thanks and show his respect to this man, who he knew was doing everything he could.

He next wandered down to Daniel's lab to bug the space monkey and try and get his mind off everything, He was rather surprised, when he got there, to see both Carter and Teal'c in with his intended tormentee. He simply raised his eyebrows, the question obvious.

"Oh, hi Jack", Daniel glanced up, sounding distracted. "We were just going over some things here. I was checking on some of my Ancient writings to determine if there was anything that might help."

When Jack looked over, curiously, to Carter and Teal'c, it was the Major who answered. "We're helping him Sir", she explained. "He's got us going through a number of the translations to see if anything sticks out."

He nodded, knowing there was nothing he could say. He _hated_ this. With a sigh he wandered over to Daniel's table and sat down on a high stool. He listlessly reached out and grabbed one of the texts, figuring that maybe he could help. He missed the look that passed between his teammates – the look of worry and fear.

God, the Ancients were arrogant! Jack flipped another page in the book he was reading and had to restrain himself from throwing the dam thing against the wall, like he'd done with his beer. Of course, this wouldn't be nearly as satisfying – that and he'd have to contend with an irate Daniel. You just didn't screw around with books with Jackson in the vicinity.

He began to twirl around on the bench – still bored and no closer to a solution than when he'd sat down. The others glanced up at him, clearly wanting to tell him to stop but either too careful not to object to the actions of a superior officer (in Sam's case), too distracted (in Daniel's), or too long-suffering (Teal'c) to actually say anything. He was just about to jump up and head to the commissary for something to eat – preferably something filled with sinful but delicious calories, when the claxons sounded, indicating that something was happening.

He immediately jumped down and headed towards the door, completely forgetting that he was on leave. He was followed closely by the rest of his team, all wanting to know what was going on.

He asked one of the SF's who ran past, but the man looked at him strangely and continued on. It took him a moment to realize that the man wasn't being insubordinate – he simply hadn't understood. He'd asked the question in Ancient. Jack growled in frustration and reached out and grabbed Daniel's arm.

"Quod facto est?"

"Uh – I don't know any more than you do Jack", Daniel answered.

"Ipsicoris!"

"Okay, okay."

"What's he saying Daniel?" Sam was walking quickly beside the men, all of them heading towards the Gate room.

"He wants me to find out what's going on." Just then they spotted one of the medics rushing ahead of them. "Hey – Stevens – what's happening?"

"Sg-5 and 6 came in hot", he called in reply. "There are injuries."

"Damnato!" Jack exclaimed, beginning to run faster. They soon arrived at the Gate room, to see all in chaos. A medical team was there but was already on its way to the Infirmary when they arrived. From the frantic voices and the speed with which they moved, it didn't look good for whoever had been injured.

A second team was looking at another soldier, collapsed on the ramp. They too moved quickly and soon the fallen person – a woman – was being gently lifted onto a gurney and was whisked off. Everyone else had obviously already gone or been taken to the Infirmary.

The whole thing had taken a few seconds and now the only things that remained were the Gate room SF's and lots of blood and equipment – dropped by the returning teams. Jack moved slowly to look at General Hammond, who was standing out of the way, looking shocked. He could see the older man take a deep breath and instantly he was back in full control.

"Clear everything out here people and find out what the hell happened!" He began to turn away when he noticed the members of Sg-1 standing off to one side. He sighed. "I'm afraid there's nothing you can do folks. It's up to the medical staff now."

"What happened Sir?" Sam stepped forward. Normally she would have waited for the Colonel to speak but now –.

"We don't know yet Major. A radio message came through just as the gate opened – Captain Shaw said they were under attack and were coming in hot. A moment later they ran through the gate – all of them injured, a couple of them seriously. I'll wait until Dr. Frasier gives the go ahead and then I'll try and find out. In the meantime – there's nothing you can do. I suggest everyone clear out. Dr. Frasier will have things under control."

"Thank you Sir." Carter nodded and looked back at her team. They were all standing quietly, concerned about their fellow officers but knowing there was really nothing they could do to help. The situation they had just witnessed was one they all dreaded – but knew could happen to any of them. They just prayed that no one would die or had been injured too badly.

"Anybody for a cup of coffee?" Daniel asked.

"I believe that would be good Daniel Jackson", Teal'c agreed. Sam nodded and the three of them turned. It was Daniel who looked back at Jack.

"You coming?"

"Hmm?" he blinked and seemed to notice the others for the first time since entering the Gate room. He nodded and stepped in behind them.

They'd made it half-way to the Commissary when Jack suddenly stopped. Something was bothering him – but he couldn't figure out what it was. Without warning he turned and moved in the opposite direction – knowing he had no choice but to follow whatever force was moving him.

"Jack! Where are you going?"

He glanced back at Daniel and shrugged but then kept walking.

"What's he doing?" the archaeologist asked his companions. Sam shrugged in imitation of her commanding officer and Teal'c lifted an eyebrow. With a sigh Daniel turned and followed the Colonel. A second later so too did the other members of their team. Where Jack went – they followed.

"I'm sorry Sir", the nurse glanced up. "I'm afraid we have an emergency. The doctor can't see you right now."

Jack ignored her and kept walking back towards the area from which all the sounds were emanating.

"_Sir_!" she called after him.

"It's okay Lieutenant", Major Carter spoke to her kindly. "He's – uh – don't worry. We'll tell Dr. Frasier you tried to stop him."

"Oh – okay Major – but – wait", she called as Carter moved on too. "You can't go in there."

Carter ignored the poor woman, as did Daniel. It was Teal'c who stopped and spoke with her.

"Do not worry Lieutenant Bigelow. Colonel O'Neill is here to help. I will ensure he does not get in the way."

Bigelow sighed, and put her hand through her hair. She'd always been told that Sg-1 was a force unto itself – and so who was she to try and stop it. Dr. Frasier could deal with them. "Okay – but I'm not taking responsibility if anything happens."

"Of course you will not." With that Teal'c turned and followed his friends, leaving the nurse who wasn't quite sure whether she'd been shown sympathy or had been insulted.

"Colonel!" Janet looked up from the battered body of the soldier in front of her. "What are you doing here? You have to leave. I've got severely injured men and women here – I don't have time to deal with you now."

Janet was nothing if not blunt when she needed to be, thought Jack, although he soon forget about her and everything else in the room. He had eyes for no one else but Morrison – the soldier on the table.

It didn't take an expert to know that there was no way the young woman could survive. She'd taken a staff blast, or something similar, directly to her chest. The wound was horrible – he could see blood and tissue and bone. He wondered for a second if she was still alive but then realized that Janet wouldn't still be standing there if she was dead. He stepped closer.

Janet had turned back to her patient and was issuing sharp orders to her staff. Her voice clearly indicated she knew it was hopeless – but also that she wouldn't give up until she had no other choice.

Jack stepped even closer, his eyes steady on the body of the young soldier. He remembered her. She had been in one of his training groups and he'd seen her potential. She was young and green – and idealistic – but smart. In many ways she had reminded him of a young Sam Carter. And there was no way in hell he was going to let her die.

"_Colonel_!" Janet had noticed that he hadn't left. "What the hell – you have to leave _now!"_

He continued to ignore her but walked up to the table until he was right next to Morrison. He could tell – he didn't know how – that she had but seconds left to live.

"_Colonel_!" Janet sounded frantic and reached out to grab him. It was then that Daniel stepped forward.

"No Janet – let him."

"But Daniel -"

"Look", he nodded his head towards Jack, who had put out his hands and gently laid them down directly on the young woman's wound.

"He can't – Daniel, what's going on?"

"He's trying to heal her. I think – he's gone Ancient."

Janet looked on, stunned, and swallowed. She knew there was nothing she could do for Morrison – her wounds were too grave. She hadn't given up, because she never would, but they had all known the young soldier was going to die. It was for that reason that she stilled now. She didn't think this was going to work, but if there was even a small chance that Daniel was right, she'd have to let the Colonel try.

They all stood and watched as O'Neill stood there, a look of intense concentration on his face. Nothing seemed to be happening – at least not at first. It must have been almost five minutes later before anything changed. Morrison – who had been still as death – suddenly took a deep breath, a small groan leaving her throat.

"What the -" Janet stepped forward, not knowing what to do but feeling like she had to do _something_. An arm reached out and again held her back. This time it was Sam's. Her head lifted and her eyes connected with those of her friend. "Sam?"

"I don't know Janet", she said softly. "But this way she might have a chance." Sam had known, just as had Jack, that Susan Morrison was dying. If he couldn't help her then there _was_ no chance for her.

"Look", Daniel whispered, pointing to Susan's chest. "It's working."

And it was. The wound – although still terrible looking – was starting to heal. Jack continued to stand there, his hands touching her. His eyes were glazed and he appeared to be in a trance, his whole being focused on the young woman in front of him.

It was another ten minutes before they knew for sure that Lieutenant Morrison was going to live. By that time the wound was healed – the skin still pink and tender looking, but now closed. She was breathing deeply and color was returning to her bleach white skin. Janet was checking her vital signs and was shaking her head – not with despair, but with disbelief.

"Her pulse is 60, her blood pressure 110 over 65. Her temperature is almost normal. What the hell just happened?"

"Jack", Daniel whispered. "Jack happened."

It was at that moment that the Colonel withdrew his hands. His eyes lifted and he stared directly at Carter, a look of shock on his face. His mouth opened as if to speak but before anything came out his eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed. He would have fallen to the floor if it wasn't for Teal'c, who caught him.

The last thing that ran through Jack's mind, right before he lost consciousness, was 'holy crap – I'm a damned Ancient!"


	12. Complications

_**Another chapter ... sorry for the Ancient - I'm afraid mine isn't very good!**_

"How's he doing Janet?" Sam looked through the window at the Colonel, who was lying quietly in the Infirmary bed. He was hooked up to various monitors, but the fact that he was alone now seemed to indicate he was okay.

"He's fine now", the petite doctor replied, also looking through the glass at the sleeping officer. "His vitals dipped pretty seriously and I was worried for a while, but things seem to be coming back. His temperature, blood pressure and pulse are all still low, but almost within normal ranges. He should be fine."

"And Lieutenant Morrison?"

"She's totally okay. As far as I can tell she's healthy as a horse. I'm keeping her for 24 hours observation, but it looks like he healed her completely."

The two women fell silent, both contemplating what had happened. It was obvious now that the Colonel had gone Ancient – whatever that meant. Sam felt a cold sense of foreboding wash over her. Did this mean he was going to die?

"Janet – what about –?"

The doctor turned and looked at her friend, noticing for the first time how pale and frightened Sam appeared. "Hey, what's this?"

"I'm just – the last time this happened – the Colonel almost died. Does this mean -"

"No – no I don't think so", Janet assured her quickly. "I did another brain scan, and although there are changes, it doesn't look like last time. I don't think his brain is being – overwritten – not like it was before. Whatever is happening, it's different. I'm sure he'll be okay Sam."

"But – he can't speak Janet. I know it's driving him insane – it would any of us. He can't communicate and that's everything to him. What's he going to do?"

"Honey – let's wait until Thor gets here. I'm sure he'll be able to help. In the meantime, we just have to be there for the Colonel. I'm sure it won't be long. Thor will – do whatever he does to clear this stuff out of his brain and the next thing we'll know the Colonel will be back to his usual sarcastic, irascible self!"

Sam snorted, hoping that what Janet was saying would turn out to be true. Damn it – where the hell was Thor?

* * *

"Hey Jack." Daniel spoke softly to the still sleeping man. It had been almost 24 hours since he'd healed the Lieutenant and he still hadn't woken up. Janet said it was probably just exhaustion, but Daniel was worried. "Hey sleepyhead", he said again. "You're missing the hockey game."

Daniel almost laughed when Jack's eyes shot open. It took a few seconds for the other man to focus and then he slowly turned his head. "Daniel?" he croaked.

"Hi. Decided to wake up finally I see. Here, have some water." Daniel held out the cup with a straw and Jack took a couple of sips.

Once he was finished Jack put his head back down and frowned slightly – obviously still somewhat disoriented. His eyes wandered around the room for a moment and then he looked back at his friend. "Infirmorum?"

"Yup – do you remember what happened?"

Again the furrow appeared between the Colonel's eyes. He tried to think back. "Uh - ?"

"Two Sg teams returned from off-world – they'd gotten into a fire fight and some of them were injured. You came down to the Infirmary and saw that Lieutenant Morrison was badly hurt." Daniel watched him for a second to see if he remembered. When the Colonel continued to look uncertain he sighed and continued. "You healed her Jack – you put her hands on her chest and healed her."

Jack's eyes grew round and then he grew pale. He started to shake his head, although the memories were starting to come back. "No way – Daniel – no!"

Daniel didn't know whether to be surprised at Jack's denial or at the fact that he'd spoken in English. "Uh – yes, I'm afraid that's what happened. Don't you remember?"

"Non etay me." He shook his head firmly. He hadn't done it – he refused to believe it.

Well, so much for the English, thought Daniel. He'd have to think about that later. "Yes, it was. Jack, we all saw it. I think – you seem to have gotten back the healing power of the Ancients." He winced as Jack's head fell back and his eyes closed. Damn it – this was so unfair.

"Me cerebro mutato est?" O'Neill asked softly.

"Uh – yeah, a bit – but Janet says it's not like last time. She's sure this isn't going to kill you – it's not – what did she say 'overwriting your brain' like it did before. The changes are much more gradual and seemed to have stopped. It may be -"

"Quod?"

Daniel wished that he wasn't the only one who could understand Jack, because right now he wanted someone else – anyone else – to be here. This was really Janet's territory, not his. "Janet thinks -"

"_Quod Daniel_?"

"Janet thinks this may be a natural change – that it's your own brain or body that's doing this in response to your injury. She figures that maybe the Ancient gene kicked in to save you when you almost died and – and that it's become somehow dominant."

The Colonel blinked, not quite sure what to say – or to think for that matter. If what Daniel, and Janet, said was true – did that mean Thor wouldn't be able to fix it, fix him? No – his little gray friend had to be able to do something. There was no way in hell he was going through life as some freak who couldn't even speak. And if what Daniel was saying was true – why the hell _couldn't_ he speak – English that was. Surely he'd be able to at least relearn his own language? But that didn't seem to work. No matter how hard he tried the words just wouldn't come out. His head fell back again and he took a deep breath.

"Quid ego nunc faciam?"

"What do you do now? Just rest Jack. The healing took a lot out of you. I'm here – hell, we're all here for you – and as soon as Thor arrives he'll fix this. In the meantime, just take it easy."

* * *

"What do you mean the NID want him?" Daniel stared at General Hammond, whose own face registered his anger.

"Just that Dr. Jackson. They found out about the healing and now they want to take him away and examine him. We have a snake in the grass who must have informed them. I'll find out who, but in the meantime someone is coming this afternoon to take him to Area 52."

"Sir, you can't let them", Sam said forcefully. "You know that if they get their hands on him they'll never let him go. They'll use him as a guinea pig!"

"I know Major but I'm afraid my hands are tied. This comes down from the top. I've been ordered to cooperate fully. Look, I even put in a call to the President, but he's not answering. Someone is pulling some strings and there's nothing else I can do."

"We cannot let them have Colonel O'Neill", Teal'c said calmly and quietly – although both Sam and Daniel recognized the sound of danger in their friend's voice. Now was definitely not the time to mess with the former Jaffa warrior.

"What are we going to do? When are they coming Sir?" Daniel stood with his arms wrapped around his chest, the glasses falling down on his nose. He was not going to let this happen.

"In about an hour son", Hammond told him. "The plane is just about to land at Petersen."

"Well then, I guess we should go and say goodbye to Jack. If you'll excuse me Sir?" Daniel barely waited for Hammond's nod before turning and striding out of his officer.

"Uh – Sir, does Colonel O'Neill know?"

"Not yet Major. Maybe you could tell him?"

"Yes Sir. Teal'c, are you coming?"

"Indeed Major Carter. Thank you General Hammond."

"You're welcome Teal'c and – good luck, both of you."

The two of them scurried after Daniel, meeting up with him just outside the Infirmary. "What are we going to do Daniel, Teal'c?" Sam asked quietly. "We can't let them have him."

"No, I know. Look, I think the only thing we can do is get him through the gate."

"How? There's no way they'll let us through. The General would get in huge trouble."

"We've done it before Sam", Daniel reminded her. "We'll just have to do it again. And somehow – I think the General won't be watching too closely."

Sam nodded, not likely what they had to do, but knowing they had little choice. "You get the Colonel – Teal'c and I will get our equipment and meet you outside the gate room in – twenty?"

"Yeah", Daniel nodded and headed into the Infirmary. He watched for a second as Sam and Teal'c headed off to collect their equipment. This was going to be close.

* * *

"How's Jack?"

Janet looked up from her desk when she heard Daniel enter the Infirmary. "Hi Daniel. He's doing fine – still tired, but he should be back up to speed in a day or so. Go ahead and go in – I think he's bored and could use the company."

"Uh Janet." Daniel grimaced, unsure of what to tell the Doc. He really didn't want her to get into trouble.

"What is it?" She looked at him in surprise – there was something wrong.

"It's just – the NID know about Jack."

"They do? How?"

"General Hammond doesn't know. Someone from here must be working for them and obviously told them about the healing. Anyway, they're on their way to get him."

"Colonel O'Neill?"

"Yup – they'll be here in less than an hour."

"Oh my God – what's the general going to do?"

"There isn't anything he _can_ do. I'm going to go and tell Jack now."

"Crap – he isn't going to be happy."

"No – uh Janet?"

"What?" she looked at him with a frown.

"I think – maybe – isn't it time for your coffee break?"

"My _what_?"

"Coffee break. You've been here for a while and I thought maybe – you know – you might want to go to the commissary for a cup of coffee and a bite to eat. I mean, you said yourself that Jack is okay. I'm sure it's fine if you leave him for a bit."

Frasier's face suddenly changed and by the look in her eyes she was beginning to realize what was going on. "I – guess I could. Yes, a coffee sounds good."

"What about your nursing staff?" Daniel asked. "Any of them here that might like to go?"

"Just Nurse Gomez. I think – I need to send her to pick up some test results from the science lab. Just let me tell her and then I'll go grab that coffee. As long as I know you're here I don't mind leaving the Colonel."

"Thanks Janet", Daniel said softly.

"I just hope you know what you're getting yourself into", the doctor answered, equally as softly. She then reached over and buzzed for the nurse on duty. "Gomez, can you go down to the labs and get the latest tests on Colonel O'Neill? I want to check his blood work."

"Of course Dr. Frasier." The nurse left quickly at which point Janet stood up. "She'll be back in less than ten minutes. I'm off for coffee. Good luck."

"Thanks Janet." With that he hurried into Colonel O'Neill's room. "Hey Jack – get out of bed. We have to hurry."

"Quod?"

"Don't argue Jack – just get up. Here", he tossed the Colonel a clean pair of BDU's which were in the closet and then grabbed his boots from under his bed. "The NID is coming for you. They heard about you going – Ancient – and they want to take you to Area 52. We only have a few minutes. Come on."

Jack didn't need any more urging. He quickly stood– and would have fallen over except for Daniel, who grabbed him and steadied him. With a quick nod of thanks he held on to the bed but dressed as fast as he could.

"Let's go."

"Quo?"

"To the gate room. We figured the only safe place was to go through the gate to a safe planet. Here on Earth they'll be sure to find us."

"Qui nos?"

"Us – you, Sam, Teal'c, me – Sg-1."

"Non!"

"Yes Jack – come on, don't argue. We've got to go."

Jack clenched his jaw and proceeded to inform Daniel that his team was _not_ going. He could go on his own, he argued. He was _not_ about to let his teammates get into trouble to help him. If they left Earth they'd all be labeled as traitors and there was no way he would let this come down on them. After a few moments he realized that if they didn't move it wouldn't be an issue – he'd be captured. He followed Daniel to the gate room, refusing to continue the argument now. But when he got to the gate he'd stand firm.

Teal'c and Sam were waiting in the hallway outside, a pile of equipment at their side. Without saying a word Sam handed him his flak vest, jacket and weapons. "Okay Sir – ready to go?"

"Non", he repeated. He looked over at Daniel in frustration. "Daniel!"

"Jack says he's going alone – he refuses to let us accompany him."

"No way– we're going with him."

"That is correct", Teal'c agreed. "Come we must be going."

Jack shook his head at his 2IC. He could at least order her to stand down.

"Sorry Sir – what was that? I'm afraid I don't understand."

"Sam!" he hissed. He couldn't exactly order her to stay since she could claim she didn't understand, so instead he turned to Daniel and told him.

"Sorry Jack – what's that? I'm afraid I'm having trouble understanding you. Sam, we'd better get the gate open. They'll be here any minute."

Sam nodded and turned to head up into the Control room. She prayed that whoever was there wouldn't stop them. "Oh hello Sergeant."

"Major." Walter looked up, surprised to see Major Carter. "What's happening Ma'am?"

"I'm here to do the diagnostic", she told him, acting as if he should know what she was talking about.

"Diagnostic?"

"Yes, didn't Siler tell you?"

"Siler? No Ma'am, he didn't say anything."

She sighed. "Darn it! I told him to tell you _and_ to have the equipment here. Look Sergeant – could you page Siler and have him go to my office and bring my diagnostic equipment here? Damn!" she cursed. "On second thought – could you go down and get it for me? I just remembered that Siler is helping Chloe out with an experiment today. I hate to ask you, but I strained my shoulder and Dr. Frasier told me not to lift anything for a few days. I'll wait here and guard the gate for you."

Walter was surprised at the request – it wasn't at all like Major Carter. However, she was one of his favorite officers and rarely asked him to do anything for her. Besides which, it was nice to be able to stretch his legs for a bit. "Sure Major", he said, standing up.

"Look – why don't you grab yourself a coffee on the way down. I'm sure you'd like a bit of a break. I'll just log on to the computer and look at some of the files while I'm waiting. I don't' mind – it's kind of nice having the gate room to myself for a change."

"Sure Ma'am", he smiled. He knew the feeling. He also enjoyed sitting there just looking at the Stargate. It was soothing somehow. With a nod he left.

Sam waited for a few seconds until she was sure he was gone and then immediately began dialing. She had to think for a moment but then decided on the Land of Light. She knew there would be no problem going there – they were good allies and friends.

As soon as the Stargate started turning she closed the blast doors and hurried down into the gate room, to find Daniel, Teal'c and the Colonel waiting. At least Daniel and Teal'c were waiting – the Colonel was speaking furiously in Ancient.

"He's insisting we stay", Daniel said, although she really didn't need the explanation.

Just then there was a pounding on the door. They could hear faint shouting coming from the hallway. Damn it – they'd been discovered. At the same moment the event horizon opened. "Come on", she shouted. "We have to go."

With a curse muttered in Ancient Jack started up the ramp, followed closely by the rest of his team. He glanced back, just before hitting the horizon, to see the blast doors begin to open. He stepped through, knowing that his team was with him. He didn't know whether to be happy – or furious. In the end he figured he was a bit of both.

The event horizon snapped shut as soon as they all exited on the Land of Light, but Sam knew they had to hurry. The NID would quickly discover where they went and would follow them. They had to dial out quickly before the Gate engaged and they were trapped. She ran to the DHD and immediately began to input a new destination.

"Quo tendimus?" Jack asked, still seething over what was happening.

"Uh – I'm not sure. Sam", Daniel called. "Where are we going?"

"PXK 8RS", she replied. She hit the final symbol and the gate 'kawooshed' behind them. She breathed a sigh of relief. "Let's go."

It was only as they were stepping through that Jack realized – he had no idea where the hell PXK 8RS _was_. Oh well, it was a good thing he trusted Carter.


	13. PXK 8RS

_**Just a short one tonight folks. Have had a serious eye infection so haven't been able to write much but I did manage this. Hope you enjoy and, as always, your reviews keep me energized to write more! Thanks all.**_

So _this_ is PXK 8RS. Damn! He sighed as he looked around, remembering their last visit to this planet. Of all the planets, in all the galaxies, they would have to come here.

"Sorry Sir", Sam said softly, standing by his side. "I know it's not your favorite place, but it _is_ safe and I figured it would be one of the last places they'd look. It's been months since we've been here and since there wasn't anything particularly special about it …"

He nodded and gave her a smile. He hoped it looked sincere, and he _was_ grateful to her, but he still could have wished for anywhere but here.

"It'll be okay Jack", Daniel said as he walked down the short staircase to the ground below. "I mean, the natives were relatively friendly, the climate isn't bad, and as Sam said, it's safe."

"Sed _arboribus_ Daniel!"

"What did he say?" Sam wanted to know, at Daniel's sharp bark of laughter.

"He was complaining about the trees", her friend told her with a grin.

She grinned back and then glanced over at a despondent looking Colonel. "I _am_ really sorry Sir. I guess I should have tried for prairies or deserts."

"Ts'okay Major", O'Neill replied. After a moment of silence – and seeing the huge eyes of his second in command staring at him – he scowled. "What?"

"Uh Sir – you're speaking English."

"Num?" he asked, getting rather tired of this back and forth with languages. Although as far as he could tell he was speaking the same one all the time.

"Well, you were." Sam said, sounding slightly disappointed, but also rather curious. "Daniel?"

"I don't know. He did it once before. Maybe his brain is starting to -"

"To do what Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c had spent the last few minutes doing a perimeter check and had now returned to where his teammates were standing.

"Look, I really don't have any idea _what's_ going on, but I think this is a good thing. Jack, you can still understand us, right?"

"Yeah", he nodded. It was very clear to his friends that he had no idea whether he was speaking English or Ancient at any given moment. They could only hope that he'd begin to retrieve his ability to speak his native language. Right now, however, they needed to get situated for the night. They didn't have long before it began to get dark.

"See, that's good. Maybe it's just a matter of him relaxing and not worrying about it and it will all come back."

Jack grimaced but started to feel relieved. He hated not being able to communicate, except to Daniel and _hated_ that he was speaking Ancient. Even with the archaeologist he didn't want to talk too much, keeping his sentences short. He sucked in a deep breath of air and then did a 360 of the area. It was going to be dark before long and they needed to set up camp. He supposed they could make their way to the town, but he would really prefer to postpone the reunion with the natives.

He was about to open his mouth, to instruct Daniel to tell the others, when Carter beat him to the punch.

"Should we look for a place to set up camp Colonel?"

He gave her a nod, and then moved forward, glancing around the area again, just to make sure none of his less than favorite natives had shown up. He was followed, after a few seconds, by the rest of his team. They walked at a steady pace, away from the gate and towards where they knew there was a fresh water supply.

They'd spent almost a week here on their previous visit and had gotten to know the area between the village and the gate quite well. There had been some indication of Naquada on this world, and they'd been ordered to stay and determine whether it was of sufficient quality and quantity to try and initiate a treaty with the local residents. In their forays they had found a small lake a few miles from the nearest town. It was in a secluded area, surrounded on three sides by trees and on the forth by a sharp cliff with a waterfall descending into the lake. Even Jack had had to admit, when they'd stumbled on it, that it was a lovely spot. At the time he'd thought that it would be a great place to camp, especially if there were fish in the lake.

Well, it looked like he was going to get a chance to find out. He had no idea how long they'd be here – they really hadn't even had time to figure out next steps. All he'd known was that there was no way in hell he'd let the NID get their hands on him. He'd end up spending the rest of his life as a lab rat.

Mind you, he snorted, the locals here weren't that much better than his friendly neighborhood weasels from Washington. The Senecksi seemed to be a mild race and had treated them relatively well so he wasn't quite sure _why_ he disliked them so much – certainly the rest of his team hadn't had the same intense reaction. All he knew was that they had given him the creeps from the first day. He'd felt this strange shiver run down his spine when the first alien – Chkultay - had appeared from the dark green forest to greet them on behalf of his people.

"How about here Sir?" Sam's voice interrupted his thoughts and it was only then that he realized they'd arrived. It certainly was a pretty spot, he had to concede. Well, if they had to remain here for the indeterminate future, they might as well be somewhere nice.

"Looks good Carter. Let's do it."

The smile he received was almost blinding in its intensity. He tilted his head, asking her silently why she looked at him with that expression. Not that he didn't like it – but it wasn't her usual response to one of his orders.

"You spoke in English again Sir", she told him. "I think Daniel's right and it's coming back."

He couldn't help it. He grinned at her and the two of them shared a small moment – just as if there was no one else on P –

"Are we setting up here Jack?" Daniel shouted, totally destroying the moment.

"Sic", he shouted back. With only a small glance towards Sam, who looked as disappointed as he did at the interruption, he swung off his pack and began to make camp.

As he worked his mind returned to the Senecksi to try and figure out what it was about them that had bothered him the last time. They were a small race, reminding him somewhat of pictures he'd seen of the tribes of the Kalahari. From what Daniel had told him, they were totally egalitarian, with decisions being made by all the adults of the tribe – both men and women. They were also, their resident archaeologist and historian told them, a non-violent people and they lived in harmony with each other and their environment.

That all sounded great and had reminded him somewhat of the Nox. What had creeped him out, however, was their reaction to _him_. At first he thought he was imagining it but after a while he became convinced that they were suspicious of him. He'd asked Daniel and Teal'c both and the two men had looked at him as if he was crazy.

"They do not treat you differently O'Neill", Teal'c had told him bluntly. "I believe you are simply being overly cautious."

Paranoid is what he'd meant, although the former Jaffa was too polite to tell him that bluntly. Daniel, of course, wasn't.

"Come on Jack! For once just accept the people for what they are. They are _not_ trying to kill us or enslave us or anything like that. As far as I can tell they've had no contact with the Goa'uld and they have little in the way of technology. Just relax."

He'd sighed and tried to convince himself that he was being silly. They certainly hadn't done anything _overt_. It was more – a feeling he got when they were close by. He was also sure he'd seen a few of them staring at him when he wasn't looking directly at them. It had been creepy but nothing he could point to directly. In the end he'd simply been glad to leave the planet and had hoped never to return. Since they hadn't found any real Naquada deposits that were extensive enough to use, he'd been sure that he would get his wish.

And yet – here he was. Life always seemed to have a way of coming back and kicking you in the ass!

"O'Neill, do you wish to contact the natives tomorrow?" Teal'c had just returned from his turn on watch and must have heard Jack's thoughts and decided to have a bit of cruel fun with him.

"Nope", he shook his head, standing up and stretching from where he'd been sitting by the fire with Daniel. "But non habemus much choice."

Teal'c's eyebrow went up and he turned towards Daniel.

"Yeah, he's been doing that all evening. It's the reverse of what happened when he went Ancient before. Now English words are creeping in to his speech, although he appears to have no idea when he's using them."

"This is good news O'Neill. Soon you shall be able to communicate in English."

Jack lifted his cup and gave Teal'c a toast. He then took a final sip of coffee and set it down on the ground by the fire. "Yup. Well it's hora somni. Ne mordents bedbugs guys!" With a small wave he headed out to take his watch, pausing only briefly by Carter's tent. She had crashed earlier as she was on watch after him. When they were on away missions she always bunked with Daniel or Teal'c. Just once he wished – stop it O'Neill, he said to himself fiercely. He was usually always careful to control those kind of thoughts. This planet must be getting to him. That, or the Ancient stuff. He sighed and headed off into the night.

"Why did O'Neill speak of bedbugs?" Teal'c wanted to know, his brow crested with a deep seated frown. "They are most unpleasant."

"Yeah", Daniel laughed. "It's just an expression Teal'c. The full expression is '_sleep tight, and don't let the bedbugs bite'. _ It's a way some humans have of bidding you good night.

Teal'c nodded ponderously and then turned his face towards his friend. "I have spent many years now, with humans, and still some of your customs confuse me."

Daniel stared in the night after Jack. He'd seen the Colonel's slight hesitation outside Sam's tent and wondered briefly what it had meant. "Yeah, me too Teal'c. Me too."

It was an uneventful night, which they all agreed was a good thing. The last thing they needed right now was to worry about any new threat. What they had to do was figure out how to handle the NID and Jack's going Ancient. For now though, they all agreed they had to let the Senecksi know they had returned.

"Do we have to?" Jack had whined. His three teammates turned to him, all of them looking inordinately pleased. "Fecit illud, didn't I?"

"Yeah", Daniel nodded and then explained to the others. "He said he did it again. Jack, the good news is that you're speaking more and more English. I bet the Ancient will soon be gone."

"We may soon be wishing that his English did not return so quickly", Teal'c added, expressionless. "It has been something of a rest to not have to listen to all of O'Neill's jokes."

"Et tu Teal'c?"

Daniel and Sam laughed, neither of them knowing, or caring if the Latin/Ancient was intentional that time. It was just good to hear the Colonel joking around – Teal'c's words notwithstanding.

"Uh, we should probably get going", Daniel prodded them. "We wouldn't want the Senecksi to think we were sneaking around."

Jack rolled his eyes, clearly not too worried about upsetting the locals. He wouldn't do anything to actively insult or harm them, but he didn't really want to go out of his way, either, to accommodate them. Still, he nodded and indicated that they should go. They would leave their camp intact and return later in the day.

It was a short walk – no more than about 45 minutes – to the Senecksi town. Jack would have called it more of a village, but according to Daniel there were a number of buildings that seemed to indicate a more structured society. He'd tried to find out more details, but either the people were shy or they were trying to hide something. It didn't help that they were an incredibly _quiet_ people. In fact, he couldn't remember hearing more than a few words from them when they were greeting the strangers that had appeared through the gate. In the end it didn't really matter what they called the damn place. Jack just wanted to get here, get the mission completed, and return home to rousing night watching TV.

They were a few minutes from the village when they heard the sounds of children playing. Jack couldn't help but smile. He loved kids and ever the Senecksi kids had been pretty special. He liked them _way_ better than their parents and had attempted to spend as much time with them as he could. Of course it hadn't been nearly enough – not with the good Doctors Jackson and Carter on his case.

Just then they walked into a clearing, to see the kids playing with the rudimentary bat and ball he'd crafted. From what he could see, they were attempting a convoluted version of baseball – a game he'd taught them, even though he couldn't speak their language. It hadn't seemed to matter though, as he found he could always communicate with children. Right now he was itching to stop and play – knowing it was only partly because he liked kids. Mostly it was because he wanted to avoid their parents.

"Come on Jack", Daniel grinned, totally aware of the little boy inside the Colonel that wanted to come out and play. "You can play later. First we have to speak to the adults."

Jack groaned but nodded. He dutifully followed his teammates, although he stopped and gave a wave to the kids when he heard them call out 'Chack!'

They arrived in the town a few minutes later. At first no one noticed them, but within moments a small group of women, who had been chatting on a street corner, looked over and they were discovered. There were a few puzzled looks, and then some smiles. One of the women – Jack recalled that her name was Tirania – started to walk towards them, followed slowly by the others.

"Daneel Chasson", she called out (Daniel was always their favorite, thought Jack with a snicker) et Samanta, Teeuk." She looked happy to see them, which at least made him relax slightly.

But then Jack wondered why he hadn't been greeted. It could have been that they hadn't seen him yet – but more likely this was confirmation that they just didn't like him. At that moment Tirania reached them and Jack went to move out from behind Teal'c in case she hadn't seen him. At the very moment she became aware of him she instantly froze, her face blanching.

Yup, he thought, they _didn't_ like him. He'd been right the last time. Something was definitely wrong and it was directed solely at him. He began to feel uncomfortable as Tirania continued to stare at him – along with the other women. In fact, he realized that they all looked as if they'd seen a ghost – and _he_ was it.

"Uh guys?" he checked out his teammates to see if they knew what was going on but he received blank looks in reply. They had no more idea than he did as to what was going on. He had a sudden and infantile urge to say 'told you so' to his friends. Before he had a chance however he realized something.

His words had seemed to wake the women up, and without warning all four of them cried out and fell to their knees directly in front of him.

For a few seconds he gazed at them in confusion and then slowly lifted his head. "What the _hell_ is wrong quid enam?"

At that Tirania raised her head, as if in wonder. "Ipse est!"

"Daniel?" Sam whispered. "What did she say?"

"She said -" he paused and glanced at Jack, looking perturbed, "she said, 'it's him!"


	14. Senecksi

_**A**_**million apologies. What can I say other than that i am really, really busy. Thank you to my readers who gave me a gentle and encouraging kick in mitka to get me writing again. I'll try and get at least a couple of chapters posted a week (keep those reviews coming - as you see - they _do_ work).**

"What the hell is she talking about?" Jack asked. "And why are they doing that?" he indicated the women lying flat on the ground in front of him. The whole thing was starting to freak him out. He _knew_ the people on this planet had it in for him. He turned suddenly and glared at his companions. "I _told_ you so!"

"You did Sir, I'm sorry", Sam replied. "We should have listened to you."

"_Ha_! You never listen to me", he whined. At Carter's surprised look he shrugged and got a bit shame-faced. "Okay – so you listen to me, but Daniel doesn't." This time he let his glare linger on his friend. "I told you they had it in for me."

"Well, it doesn't exactly look like they have it in for you now. It looks like they're worshipping you."

"Well I don't _want_ them to worship me. Tell them to stand up."

Daniel nodded and turned to the women. Speaking in their native language he told them to please stand. They completely ignored him. He then spoke in Ancient, and while it looked like Tirania twitched at that, still none of them moved. "Uh, it's not working Jack."

"I can see that Daniel. Try something else."

"Hey, why don't you try? You're the one in front of whom they're prostrating themselves."

"Fine!" Jack turned and faced the women on the ground. "Please exigariste."

Immediately the women pushed themselves to a standing position, although they continued to stare at him.

"For heaven's sake, _what do they want_?" Jack had had enough of this and was ready to turn around and head back to the Stargate. They could either find a new planet or he'd return to Earth and take his chances with the NID.

"We apologize O'Neill", the woman named Tirania finally spoke. She turned to the rest of Sg1. "When you were here before, many of us thought that O'Neio was The One – but when he did not say anything, or seem to understand the Holy Words, we thought we had made a mistake. But now – we see that our initial belief was correct."

"Uh, what do you mean by The One", Daniel interjected quickly, as he noticed Jack beginning to look upset.

"He is the chosen one", she replied. "The knowledge that he would one day come were passed down for many generations from the Senex."

"The – Senex? Oh my God", Daniel looked as if he wanted to hit himself in the head. "Why didn't I see it?"

"See what? What are you talking about Daniel?" Jack was frowning, not sure whether to be angry or confused. After a moment he realized he was both.

"Senex – _Senecksi_!"

"Okay – but what does that mean?"

"Senex – the Ancient word for – well _Ancient_. The Senecksi is another way of saying the Ancients. They must be descendants. God, why didn't I figure that out the last time we were here?"

"Probably enjoying the _simple people_ Daniel. You kept telling me to just relax and not to let anything worry me. You thought I was paranoid!"

"Okay Jack, we all admit that you were right and we were wrong. I still can't believe I didn't figure it out." He shook his head and then glanced at a pissed off looking Colonel. "We _said_ we were sorry Jack. Get over it."

"Fine", Jack answered, sounding sulky. "Although technically Carter apologized." Before Daniel had a chance to answer he went on. "So, what does it mean that they're descended from the Ancients – other than the fact that they go around throwing themselves to the ground in front of virtual strangers!"

"You are not a stranger O'Neill", one of the women told him. "You are The -"

"- One – yes, I know. But I still don't know what the hell that means."

"Come with us", Tirania said, "and everything will be explained.

"And what if I don't _want_ to go with you?" he snarked, really hating this thing more and more with each passing second.

"Sir - I think we need to find out what's going on", Carter told him gently. "I know this has to be frustrating for you, but I think you'll feel better once you know what it's about."

Jack considered her for a moment. It was always hard for him to refuse Carter. He glanced at Daniel, who had his mouth open to speak, and he scowled. _Daniel_ on the other hand was much easier to refuse.

The archaeologist suddenly seemed to realize that maybe he should let Sam deal with the Colonel and slammed his mouth shut. He was pretty sure that Teal'c wined at him.

"Fine", Jack said again. "I'll go, but not if they keep calling me The One. It makes me sound like some kind of pervert."

Sam bit her lips but nodded. She turned to the Senecksi women. "We will come, but you heard Colonel O'Neill. If you can refrain from referring to him -"

Tirania nodded. "We shall not, although I cannot promise what others of my people will do. Please, let us go."

In the end, Jack agreed that they should go with the women. He did want to find out what was going on and this seemed to be the best way.

"Jack", Daniel spoke softly as they walked towards the town. "Have you noticed that you're speaking English now?"

"I am?" The Colonel looked slightly relieved.

"Mmm hmm. You've barely used any Ancient words at all."

"Well, since I can't tell the difference between when I'm using Ancient or English then no – I didn't notice." At the younger man's disappointed looks Jack relented. "But I'm glad you told me. I hated not being able to make myself understood. Daniel", he paused briefly. "Do you have any idea what the hell is going on?"

Daniel realized suddenly – or maybe he'd known all along and had just not bothered to listen to his friend – that's Jack's mood was caused by worry and uncertainty. Jack had had to deal with a huge amount since his accident and this had to be terribly overwhelming. He sighed to himself. He had to really try and be more understanding.

"No, not really, but I don't think it's bad. These people must be descendants of the Ancients and they see you as this person who will one day return. I expect it's because of your ancient gene."

"But what about the last time I was here? I don't get what's going on."

"Whatever has been happening to you seems to have", he grimaced slightly, "uh – increased your abilities and your -"

"Ancientness", Jack mumbled.

"Yeah, that's one way of putting it. Look, I don't believe you're this 'One' they're talking about, but it won't hurt to find out more."

"And if they realize I'm not this one, what then?"

The younger man shrugged. "I doubt they'll do anything – not if you keep telling them it's not you – and as long as you don't touch anything." Here Daniel glanced at his friend and grinned.

Jack barked out a laugh. "That's you Space Monkey – not me. _I_ don't go around touching things I'm not supposed to."

"Really? What about the time -" Daniel and Jack continued to trade stories as they walked towards the center of town. Both Teal'c and Sam glanced back occasionally; trading grins at seeing Jack relax for the first time in a long time

At least he was relaxed until they reached the building that seemed to be the town hall or something similar. Chkultay, the man who had greeted them on their arrival during their first trip, came out the door, a frown on his face.

"What is happening?" he turned towards the women. "Why have you brought them here?" He glanced at Sg1 as he spoke, although most of his attention seemed to be on the women.

Sam looked on as the women seemed to transmit some kind of message without really speaking. She suddenly wondered if –

"Damn it!" Jack grabbed his head as if in pain. "What the hell?"

"What's wrong Sir?" Sam rushed over to him and attempted to pull his hands away. "What happened?"

"Nothing – I", he groaned, but after a few seconds things seemed to get better and he dropped his hands. "Whoa! That was a head rush."

"What transpired O'Neill?" Teal'c had lifted his staff weapon and was sweeping the area for suspicious activity.

"Jack? What happened?"

"I don't know", their CO answered. "All of a sudden if felt like – I don't know, like I was, was _hearing_ something, although I couldn't make out the words. You know, kind of like when you pick up a radio signal but all you get is static."

"What could it be?" Daniel was looking at him in concern.

Sam glanced over at the aliens, to see them looking – upset. Her eyes narrowed as she realized they knew _exactly_ what was going on. She opened her mouth to speak, but Chkultay beat her to it.

"Welcome back", he said softly, his eyes flitting once or twice over to Carter.

He knows, she thought. He knows that _I_ know. She suddenly began to worry – finally believing the Colonel that these people were more than they had let on.

"Tirania and Orlana say that they believe you are The One", the alien man said – sounding calm, although both Daniel and Sam caught the underlying excitement. "Is this true?"

"NO", Jack answered sharply. "No, it's not true. We simply came here on a visit and these ladies suddenly got it in their heads that I was this – this _one_. I am a simple man from Earth, with no special powers, no special destiny and certainly no _desire_ to have people prostrate themselves in front of me."

Chkultay frowned. "You are speaking the Holy language", he said, as if this proved what the women were saying was true.

"_What_?" Jack looked in confusion at his team.

"Uh – you were just speaking in Ancient Jack", Daniel explained.

"What the – you're telling me that – God, am I talking Ancient now?"

"No – now it's English."

"God DAMN IT", Jack shouted. "How the hell can I be speaking and not even _know_ what language I'm talking. And I'm not the damned ONE!"

Chkultay and the women all looked shocked and looked at each other, clearly wondering if O'Neill had gone mad. It was Tirania who spoke.

"I believe you are hungry and tired", she said gently. "Why do you not rest – you are welcome to stay in our guest house – and eat. Tomorrow we can assemble in the Hall of the Senex and discuss." Before Jack had a chance to speak she turned to Chkultay. "Let us tell the elders and they can explain and show O'Neio and his companions. At that point we will know."

The alien man nodded. "That seems reasonable. O'Neio? Doctor? Major? Teal'c? Does that sound agreeable to you? Please understand that we wish you no harm. We will show you our holy place and explain everything. If you do not believe, at that point, they you are free to leave us – or to remain as our friends."

Daniel looked over at Jack, who was clearly struggling to stay polite, although he must have realized that the Senecksi hadn't done anything wrong. After a few seconds he nodded. "That sounds fine."

Everyone smiled and soon Sg1 was being taken to their local guest house. It was like an old-fashioned Inn or bed and breakfast and was quite charming. After they all spent some time cleaning up, they were able to sit down to a meal and simply relax.

"God, that feels good", Daniel said, stretching his legs out in front of himself and taking a bite of a piece of fruit that reminded him of a cross between a banana and a peach. It was really quite delicious.

"It does indeed Daniel Jackson." Teal'c was resting on a long couch and was biting into something that resembled a sandwich. "I was hungry."

"You're always hungry, bit guy", Jack commented, his head leaning back against the chair.

"Indeed O'Neill", Teal'c answered agreeably.

"It sounds like your English is all back Sir', Carter announced happily. "How are you feeling?"

"Mmm – fine Major. A little tired, but that's from all the walking – and being worshipped", he rolled his eyes and she laughed. "But actually, I'm feeling better than I have since -"

"Spring cleaning?" she asked with a grin.

"Yeah. You realize don't you Carter that this whole thing is your fault?"

"_My_ fault Sir?" she looked at him in surprise.

"Yeah. I never would have tried to spring clean my basement if you hadn't given me the idea."

"Uh – I don't think I want to take responsibility for that Colonel", she shook her head. "And anyway, _I_ didn't make you trip and fall."

"Yeah Jack – how _did_ that happen? I mean – you've hiked through jungles and swamps and over mountains – and then you fall in your basement and stab yourself. How does one do that?"

Sam giggled and it was only then that Jack thought back to the Senecksi and their 'The One'. He sighed. _"One_, doesn't. As for me – I stepped on a ping pong ball and lost my footing. The knife – hell, I don't know how it got there. I must have knocked it over when I fell and it was bad luck I guess."

"Ping pong ball? I didn't know you had a table?" Daniel commented.

"I don't."

That shut everyone up for a few minutes. Of course it was Daniel who again broke the silence. "So – no ping pong table but you have _balls_?"

The Colonel grinned and took a sip of his drink. "So I've been told Daniel."

Sam choked on her drink and Jack ended up having to pat her on the back. "Sorry Carter", he apologized, although he didn't look very sorry.

"No problem Sir", she grinned. "I mean – really – you couldn't possibly have let that one go."

He chuckled, suddenly feeling better than he had in a while. He glanced over at Daniel, who was looking suitably disgusted. "Hey – you gotta admit you walked right into that one."

"Yeah – okay", Daniel shook his head. "Well, I'm just glad that everything seems to be going back to normal. We were worried about you."

"Thanks guys", Jack said seriously. "I know I don't always – well, I mean – hell, you know. Just – thanks."

"You're welcome Sir." Sam smiled at him and the four friends sat quietly, simply enjoying the evening. At least they did until Jack introduced the topic they'd so far managed to ignore.

"So campers – what are we going to do about the NID? We can't stay here forever."

"We should try and see if we can contact Thor", Sam said. "If he tells the President that you haven't gone Ancient, he'll tell the NID to leave you alone."

"Maybe, although I still won't trust the bastards.", Jack said, "And anyway, how are we going to find Thor? It's not like we have an -" he stopped as Sam reached into her backpack and pulled up a small, egg-shaped article.'

" – Asgard communicator", he shook his head in wonder. "Carter – how the hell did you get that?"

"Well Sir – we have two at the SGC. One of them is kept ready for when or if we want to contact the Asgard. The other is kept in safe-keeping, with only the General, Siler and myself knowing where it is - oh, and you Sir."

Jack nodded – he'd known about the 'spare' but hadn't really given it a thought since this whole thing had started. Carter, of course, _had_. "Wow Major – you must have a heluva CO", he murmured.

"Sir?" she frowned, looking confused.

"To have taught you so well. So, are you going to contact the little guy?"

She grinned at him, and held out the communicator. "I thought you'd like to do that Sir. He likes you."

"He does, doesn't he. I'll call him first thing in the morning", he answered her, returning her grin. For a moment it was as if no one else was in the room except the two of them. It was only Teal'c's cough that brought him out of the brief moment of – Teal'c's _cough_? "Teal'c? What -?" He glanced over at his friend – who _never _coughed and who strangely wasn't looking at him. Daniel looked as if he had discovered something growing out of his arm and was staring down at it in awe. Jack frowned, wondering what was going on. It was only when he glanced at Sam – who was bright red – that he realized. Ah hell – he hadn't had he?

It had been a long time since he'd allowed himself the luxury of dreaming about Samantha Carter and the _what if's_. He'd forced himself to stop that when it began to lead him into dangerous territory and to interfere with his work. Now it looked like he was drifting back into the slightly flirtatious, wishful thinking mode. He sighed and shook his head. He'd better stop this now, before he got them both into trouble.

"I don't know about you guys" he said, abruptly standing up, "but I'm ready for bed. Tomorrow sounds like a long and interesting day."

"You're right Sir", Sam agreed, standing up as well. "I think I'll head to bed myself." She turned to the Colonel and smiled. "I am really glad you're doing better Sir. It's nice to hear you speak again."

He smiled back – what the hell – it was just a smile. "Thanks Major. It's nice to be _able_ to speak again! Have a good night everyone." With a small wave to his teammates he headed off to bed. He was tired and ready for some happy – possibly Carter-filled dreams.

After Sam had left as well, Daniel and Teal'c regarded one another. "Do you think they'll finally admit how they feel?" Daniel asked his companion.

"I do not know." Teal'c shook his head. "They are both obstinate – and they also put duty before all."

"Yeah, but, I don't know, it feels like things are changing. It would be great if -"

"It would indeed", Teal'c nodded. His lips then began to turn up in a rare smile. "Maybe we can assist them?"

Daniel's eyes grew big and then his own smile began to grow. "You devil you! So when do we start?"


End file.
